“If there is a collapse, we can’t blame the surface” - India batting coach on 76-run defeat to South Africa

Indian batting coach Sitanshu Kotak has clarified that the Indian team, led by Suryakumar Yadav, needs to adapt to the conditions quickly rather than thinking negatively about the surface from the initial moments of the game.

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Speaking in the pre-match press conference ahead of the game against Zimbabwe, Kotak has stated that the defeat against South Africa was the worst game Team India has played in the last two years, adding that the batting looked concerning in the Super8 clash against the Proteas.

"During the bilaterals, the batting was clicking. Last game the batting was concerning. I'm not looking at individual failures. We should take the last game in stride, it's the worst game we've played in two years. Openers haven't clicked either. It's fine, I wouldn't stress too much on it. Not really that concerned," Sitanshu Kotak said during the pre-match press conference 

"I don't think we struggle on black soil. If picthes become slow in T20, batting becomes a struggle. If there's a collapse, we can't blame the surface. We have done reasonably well, there isn't much concern. If you lose a couple of wickets, you have to wait and see how the ball is moving. It's more about when and how to adapt to the conditions rather than thinking negatively from ball one," he said.

 India will take on Zimbabwe at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, February 26. Additionally, Kotak stated that the Indian team knows how to handle pressure moments and come back stronger in the next two games of the Super8 round.

"When you go to bed there's pressure. There's always anxiety but you learn to deal with it. For a professional a part of their life and has to be dealt with positively. If we want to win the World Cup we have to handle the pressure, there's nothing this team can't handle," he concluded.

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