IND vs ENG | ‘I never swept’: VVS Laxman explains his method of scoring runs on a turning pitch

The pitch laid out for the third Test between India and England in Ahmedabad has drawn a lot of criticism after the match ended inside two days. The track was offering assistance to the spinners right from Day 1 and batsmen from both sides failed to tackle the spinners, who thrived on this track.

The batters find it really tough to score runs on the track as England scored just 112 and 81 in their two innings, whereas India were all out for 145 in their first innings. However, former India batsman VVS Laxman says that no matter how difficult it is to score runs on a turning track, it is not impossible. He believes that it is very much possible to score runs on such decks with proper application and method.

“I never swept, there were two options: step down the wicket, or go right back and play late. Go back early and play late, after allowing the ball to finish doing whatever it is. That’s how I disrupted length. The bowler will think he is bowling too full or too short, adjust his length, and in the bargain I would get overpitched deliveries to drive or short balls to pull,” Laxman told the Guardian

“I rarely played an aerial shot. I used my feet and played along the ground. If I did play the aerial shot, it had to be a high percentage one,” he added.

Laxman also mentioned why the stride of a batsman while playing a delivery shouldn’t be too long as it crams the batsman.

“You have to have to have belief in your defence. If you don’t, your mind is restless, shot selection becomes problematic, decision-making translates into poor footwork, into reaching towards the ball, picking the length wrongly, and that will lead to your dismissal. You will look out of place batting on these surfaces.

“Defence doesn’t mean just taking a long stride forward. Defence is where you’re transferring your body weight, and your stride is just so long that you can get bat in front of pad,” Laxman explained.

India now have a 2-1 lead in the four-match series against England. They will need to either win or draw the final Test match to qualify for the World Test Championship final.