The good Matthew Hayden reckons India’s title drought in ICC occasions prior to now decade has to come back all the way down to the gamers’ mindset as talent was by no means a problem and has suggested them to “neglect in regards to the consequence” going into the World Check Championship closing towards Australia.
India’s final ICC title got here underneath the management of M.S. Dhoni, again in 2013, and since then the crew has fallen brief in high-pressure knock-out video games together with the 2017 Champions Trophy closing towards Pakistan, 2019 ODI World Cup semifinal versus New Zealand and extra not too long ago, the T20 World Cup semifinal towards England final yr.
Within the inaugural WTC closing two years in the past, India completed runners-up to New Zealand.
When it comes to monetary and expertise assets, India has been the game’s powerhouse for lengthy however the massive titles have eluded them.
Can they flip it round towards Australia at The Oval within the closing from June 7? “It is actually not a query of talent. So, it needs to be a query of simply the chance and the mindset entering into. I imply, cricket is life right here, it’s the DNA of sport and has no different rivals,” Hayden, an vital member of the all-conquering Australian crew of 2000s, informed PTI in an interview.
“Cricket’s reputation in India is unmatched and due to this fact it creates extra stress across the gamers,” mentioned Hayden.
“In Australia, I may stroll down the road and largely be unrecognised, particularly with this horrible beard and hat on (laughs). However it’s additionally obtained nice aggressive sports activities apart from cricket. Rugby, soccer, our watersports, browsing, out of doors sports activities, right here in India it is very insular and there is a whole lot of stress. It is the identical with Pakistan cricket as effectively. There may be one sport and it’s cricket so it is a mindset factor,” he mentioned.
“Being cautious about in search of the scoreboard and in search of the titles and simply taking part in and being part of course of, one thing if you take a look at franchise setups, Gujarat Titans have executed rather well this yr and CSK have executed very effectively. Mumbai Indians as effectively imagine in a sure course of.”
“So, that might be my recommendation to Indian cricket to neglect the outcomes, however purchase into the method,” mentioned one of the vital harmful openers of his era.
‘Australia would’ve had enormous benefit at Lord’s however Oval can be 50-50
Hayden believes both facet would not get pleasure from a bonus going into the ultimate however the IPL gamers from each groups can be effectively ready. Majority of India’s squad members performed within the IPL whereas solely three from Australia had been a part of the two-month lengthy event.
“The Check championship places context to Check cricket relevance. And you have two of the best nations in cricket, face to face in India and Australia. Being at The Oval, it is a good alternative for it to be a venue which does not essentially favour one explicit facet or the opposite,” Hayden mentioned.
“It is by custom England’s bounciest, extra even surfaces. It would not favour the spinners, would not actually favour the seamers so it is fairly a impartial venue. It is good to see them taking part in in that venue particularly, had it been on the Lord’s, Australia would have had an enormous benefit there,” he mentioned.
‘Gamers who performed within the IPL ‘
“For somebody like Cameron Inexperienced, a maiden IPL season was good preparation for the high-stakes WTC closing,” mentioned Hayden.
“Do not pay an excessive amount of thoughts to the preparation of both nation. I do not sense that there is a nice drawback in taking part in IPL cricket versus taking part in county cricket. The extent is so excessive in excessive efficiency at IPL degree. Take somebody like Cameron Inexperienced for instance. He is had a bumper of a season for Mumbai Indians,” Hayden mentioned.
“It is a no-brainer whether or not he’s taking part in right here or whether or not he is really taking part in in county cricket or wherever. He is uncovered to the best degree of sport and if something, I believe there could also be a slight benefit for the blokes which were taking part in that larger degree (IPL). The combo of taking part in high-performance cricket at IPL now going to match particular venue coaching, is superb preparation,” mentioned Hayden when requested about each groups not taking part in a warm-up recreation forward of the WTC title conflict.
‘Rishabh Pant one of many massive losses to Indian cricket’
The absence of the dashing Rishabh Pant, who’s recovering from accidents sustained in a automotive accident in December, leaves a giant void in India’s Check eleven, mentioned Hayden, who’s backing Ishan Kishan to don the wicketkeeping gloves as an alternative of Ok.S. Bharat.
“One of many massive losses to Indian cricket proper now could be Rishabh Pant. If I used to be an Indian selector, I actually go together with the extra dynamic wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan, he additionally provides that little bit of swagger to the batting lineup and within the fielding unit as effectively.”
The spinners may play a task at The Oval as the sport progresses and that’s the reason Hayden mentioned India should play each Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. “What works for India is 2 spinners. It would not work for Australia, other than the outrageous turners that we noticed in India in the course of the Border-Gavaskar trophy.”
“I do know the Australian mixture will at all times wish to have three quicks. Clearly, Nathan Lyon’s is our spinner and Cameron Inexperienced can play as an all-rounder. I imply, that is, that is how vital Cameron Inexperienced is. That is a strong and vital position that he performs as an all-rounder. So it is nice to have him in kind,” he mentioned.
‘You’re going see a whole lot of Shubman Gill for the following 15 years’
Hayden concluded with wealthy reward for the in-form Shubman Gill. “You will note a whole lot of Shubman Gill for the following 15 years. The foundations behind a great Check cricketer are fairly easy. And Shubman, and Ok.L. Rahul earlier than him, essentially have unbelievable video games. So, he’ll be a famous person of any cricket format for a really very long time,” Hayden mentioned.
“One of many greatest benefits that Shubman has and he confirmed this when he was touring Australia is he is superb off the backfoot as effectively. So sq. of wicket play is superb. And that’ll stand him in good stead even towards the most effective Check sides on the earth,” Hayden added.
(PTI)
