As the Indian team prepares for the second Test, the batting coach, Vikram Rathour, attended a press conference, answering different queries from the journalists.
India suffered a shocking defeat against England in the first Test in Hyderabad. They looked set to close the game in the third innings after a formidable 190-run lead in the first innings.
However, what followed was completely unexpected, and the Indian team were clearly unprepared. Ollie Pope notched up a magnificent 196 to bring England back into the game.
Later, Tom Hartley picked seven wickets in the fourth dig to derail India’s batting innings. The home team fell short by 28 runs and conceded an early lead to the English team.
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The coaches and players have received a lot of flak since this embarrassing defeat across social media platforms. The criticism was bound to roll out after their mediocre performance on the third and fourth days, which led to their sudden loss.
As the Indian team prepares for the second Test, the batting coach, Vikram Rathour, attended a press conference, answering different queries from the journalists. Praising England, Rathour said that the English team was brave, and Pope played a brilliant knock.
“They (England) were brave. They took their chances, which worked for them. The kind of innings Pope played was exceptional. I haven’t seen too many playing such a knock against our bowling attack,” stated Rathour.
However, the batting coach later made an unusual comment, which didn’t go well with fans across social media platforms. Rathour stated they expect the visiting team to win a few games in India.
“I don’t think (there’s any pressure). We are expected to win while playing in India, and the boys are used to that by now. The message to them from the support staff is to play good cricket and not bother about results too much. The other teams also come well-prepared. Since we have won Test matches in Australia, England and South Africa, we also expect them to win a Test in India.”
As the comment went viral, the users on X (formerly Twitter) made fun of it. A few of them also questioned the team’s commitment.
Here are the reactions:
from “we want to dominate test cricket home and away” to “we also expect the other team to win a test in India” i grew up https://t.co/QAPjKeYY7n
— s (@_sectumsempra18) January 31, 2024
Since 2000,
Australia’s best ever streak at home : 31 tests, 26 wins, 1 loss
India’s best streak :
35 tests, 28 wins, 1 lossTeams are not ‘expected’ to beat you at home. When India won at Perth, Punter acknowledged that we were the toughest challenge in many many yrs. https://t.co/nEDn2hCzyp pic.twitter.com/JQMnHjlWSu
— Guru Gulab (@madaddie24) January 31, 2024
We really went from “bhaad mein gaya pitch 20 wicket nikalo, For 60 overs they should feel like hell out there” to “NoH MiLEsToNeS iN tEsTs 😤, We ExPeCt ThEm To WiN a TeSt iN InDiA” https://t.co/64ASjYOjB7 pic.twitter.com/BhoQ4Ftway
— Jitesh Sharma’s vakeel (@neelakhoon) January 31, 2024
Even football clubs when they are having a bad season (Haan I am a ManUtd fan) after a defeat & before the next game say, “we have to fight for the badge, show character & fight for the fans”
Aur yeh Rathour sahab toh haarna chalta hai https://t.co/Wuuxrkca4O
— Anurag Rekhi (@Dravidict) January 31, 2024
This is very L mentality and of course expected from weak minded people like Vikram rathour whose legs use to shiver as soon as he used to come to bat. https://t.co/w5SqERZ6JQ
— Archer (@poserarcher) January 31, 2024
Ok Rathour sir 🫡 pic.twitter.com/ldcjqkbyBd
— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh) January 31, 2024
From Kapil Dev saying “We are here to win” in England to
Ravi Shastri saying”Pitch ko nikalo game se. Bhaad me gaya pitch, 20 wickets nikalna hai” to
Vikram Rathour saying “They are here to win” in India.
What a shame and utter downfall in Indian cricket 😭— Sandeep (@VK_Stan18) January 31, 2024
Shastri could be anything but wasn’t a coward, didn’t have a loser mentality right since his playing days….Hope he smacks a beer bottle on Rathore’s head so that he regains his senses!
Even Bangladesh hammers teams at home you dumb f**k! https://t.co/MojGmjGDKr
— Gagan Chawla (@toecrushrzzz) January 31, 2024
“You expect them to win a Test in India?”
Nice. Also, you can’t say, you don’t tell them to not worry about the result. It showed in how they batted in second innings. https://t.co/W7fQJ4Cre1
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS) January 31, 2024
This is the issue I’ve had with this current Team management – their mindset.
We all know cricket is just a sport and one team will win and the other will lose but you can’t say that publically in the media or to your players in a team meeting. That’s not how you motivate. 😭🤦♂️ https://t.co/MdSZBmC5ih
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) January 31, 2024
You know, a thin line of difference exists between playing to make the team No.1 and playing to win a series even if they lose a few games. What this TM wants is very clear.
Saying “we expect them to win a Test in India” is already a defensive mindset. https://t.co/i7R9pXcW33
— Sarah Waris (@swaris16) January 31, 2024
While Vikram Rathour tried to explain that the visiting teams also come with preparations, the users took his comments the wrong way. The batting coach has already been under scrutiny following poor batting shows from the Indian batter, and he didn’t help himself by churning out such a comment, either.
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