India’s home series defeat against New Zealand has raised questions over the team’s chances in the upcoming five-match Test series against Australia, beginning later this month.
However, Sandeep Patil, former India cricketer and erstwhile chairman of the national selection committee, believes that the team should forget about the past and approach the Tests against Australia with a positive frame of mind.
“This series was a wake-up call for the Indian team. We won the T20 World Cup a few months ago, and we are a good side. We have some of the top players around and I’m sure they will bounce back,” Patil said on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the launch of his autobiography ‘ Beyond Boundaries’.
The last time India toured Australia, back in 2020-2021, it went on to clinch the series. However, Patil believes that it’s important not to dwell on the past.
“They need to forget about what happened in the previous tour to Australia and also not think too much about the New Zealand series, and look forward,” Patil said, making it clear that losing a series at home won’t have a bearing on India’s performance Down Under.
“We lost practice games before winning the World Cup (in 1983), so they should remember that. You have to think positive and play positively and that’s the only way to have a positive result. If you go on the defensive, you will never succeed,” Patil, a member of India’s historic 1983 World Cup-winning team, said, adding, “After every defeat, the Indian team has always done well. They are a very good side and I am sure they will bounce back…”
India’s star-studded batting line-up fumbled in the series against New Zealand, but Patil expects the likes of captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to turn the tide.
“Australian wickets are batting friendly and we lost the series against New Zealand because we did not do well in the batting department. We have Virat, Rohit, Shubman [Gill] and I am sure they will get together and talk about it and look ahead…”
Back in 2012, when India lost the Test series at home against England, the Patil-led national selection committee took some tough calls and heads rolled.
However, that helped the younger cricketers to step up and take Indian cricket forward.
“The committee took the decision, in consultation with the captain and the coach and the BCCI top brass. We did not take a decision because we hated or liked someone, we took a decision looking at the future of Indian cricket,” Patil said, adding with a smile, “After our term was over, the Indian team did extremely well under the new generation of cricketers…”
Talking about the transition phase, he said, “When (Sunil) Gavaskar retired, people were like ab kya hoga? The same was the case when (Sachin) Tendulkar retired, and now people are talking about Rohit. This will go on. Transition is part of the game and you’ll have to look at the future…”
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