Team India's batting coach Vikram Rathour has offered insights on how the team prepared for the turning track in Chennai for the 2nd Test against England.
On the pitch which assisted spin bowling from ball one, Rathour revealed that they had been focusing on playing the sweep shot. However, he also added that it was not a compulsion for players to attempt it.
"Yes, we are, we are," Rathour said when asked if the top-order batsmen are being asked to consider the sweep shot.
"We are giving them this option if they can practice the sweep or if they can keep practicing stepping out to spinners. We have been doing that for quite some time now," Rathour said in an interview with home broadcasters Star Sports.
"Not everybody plays that shot (the sweep), but not everybody needs to. It is not compulsory that you have to play the shot. We saw that Virat looked extremely comfortable yesterday and he hardly played the sweep shot.
"If you can defend well and move your feet, wait for the bad ball to come, of course you back that game."
Rathour also revealed his conversation with Virat Kohli after the Indian captain was dismissed on a duck in the first innings of the second Test. Kohli made an impressive comeback in the second innings, as he looked comfortable in challenging conditions for his 62.
"It is a combined process," Rathour said about the conversation with batsmen.
"We are having conversations. Virat got out in the first things, (so we had) conversations on what he could do better. That comes from him, what he could've done and then we had discussions if he could adjust where he is standing. The way he was taking his initials and (told him to) get closer to the pitch of the ball.
"They're good enough to do that at this well and he showed that in this game itself that after the discussion, he changed it a little and that worked for him."
