London: England coach Trevor Bayliss has defended India’s much-criticised preparation for the ongoing Test series, saying the beleaguered visitors couldn’t have fit in more practice than what they did before the disastrous first two games.
India trail 0-2 in the five-match series, which will continue in Nottingham with the third Test starting Saturday. “The simple fact is, teams like Australia, India and England play so much cricket. I’m sure everyone would love to play more warm-up matches than they do. You simply can’t fit them in,” Bayliss told reporters here.
“Somewhere along the line,s the players have to have some sort of rest. Most will play all the games but to keep putting more practice matches in, it’s almost impossible. It’s just the way it is,” he reasoned.
India played just one practice match before the series, a game curtailed to three days from the originally planned four days. The preparation has been roundly criticised by the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, who has questioned the logic of not having more build-up matches.
Bayliss said his team faces a similar dilemma while travelling. “We play the practice matches that we do and get asked the same questions if your preparation is not right. Well, we’d love to have a few more games. But there aren’t 10 days in a week,” he said.
Reflecting on England’s performance, Bayliss said he was satisfied with every aspect of the show so far. “The first Test was a dogfight, and this one looked like being the same at four or five down in the first innings. Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes batted extremely well, and then the bowlers did the business again,” said Bayliss.
Bayliss would like helpful conditions at Trent Bridge as well, on account of home advantage, and also for the fact that it would help demoralise sub-continental sides. “In these types of conditions (like Lord’s), I don’t think it’ll matter what the wicket is like. Here there’s always a little bit of grass on the wicket. With the overhead conditions, it’s the big thing,” he explained.
Bayliss acknowledged that elements played a favourable role for his team in the second Test where England got to bat in bright sunshine and bowl under an overcast sky. “Things fell our way: winning the toss, overcast the first day and a bit clear on the second day when we batted. There wasn’t as much swing the second day but some movement off the wicket, which is difficult to handle. Then it started to swing a little bit again. Certainly, the conditions were in our favour but we’ve been to other parts of the world where you lose the toss and you’ve got to deal with it. I would like the conditions to be in our favour every single time,” he said.
Bayliss said the swing challenge in England is similar to the spin challenge on the sub-continental dust-bowls. “When the ball is swinging around they have some difficulties, as it is when it’s spinning and we go to the subcontinent. It’s a challenge for any team to play in conditions you’re not used to and some of them are struggling a little bit,” the coach said.
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