New Delhi: Former India batter VVS Laxman said that the batting unit of the Men in Blue need to work hard in order to win against South Africa.
India will play three (3) One Day Internationals and three (3) Tests against the Proteas starting from December 26 to January 23.
“It’s very important not to repeat the same mistakes. If you see the way Ajinkya Rahane got out in Kanpur, Pujara got out in Kanpur as well as in Mumbai, it’s almost like a pattern, which is developing. Even Shubman Gill after settling down, throwing away his wicket. So, I just believe that it is about converting that start into a big score, which is very critical and as it is India plays with five genuine batsmen then you have your all-rounder in the form of Jadeja, you then have a wicket-keeper batsman,” said VVS Laxman on Star Sports show Follow The Blues.
“So, the top five batsmen need to make it count once they spend time on the crease. Somewhere or the other I feel that the mistakes are being repeated and after getting set they are losing their wicket easily, which you cannot do because if you want to perform well against good teams and especially if you want to win against South Africa then as a batting unit you need to fire,” he added.
Laxman further lauded batter Shreyas Iyer for his breakthrough performance in the Test series against New Zealand.
“The standout performer was Shreyas Iyer. The way he soaked up the pressure in his first Test match, he came in to bat in a very difficult situation as four wickets were down. The way he handled the pressure with ease, made a century in the first innings,” said Laxman.
“India were yet again under pressure in the second innings as five wickets were down but he relied on his natural form and scored a half-century. A match-winning knock in both innings. So, Shreyas Iyer was the standout performer for me as far as India is concerned in this series,” he added.