Indian team ‘not demoralised’ after Hyderabad loss: Bharat says batters to 'play with freedom' in 2nd Test

Indian wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat revealed that India were not demoralised after the shocking 28-run loss to England in the first of the five-match Test series on Jan 28. Despite a 190-run lead, India conceded the series opener as England staged a remarkable fightback in the second half of the contest. Riding on Ollie Pope's 196 and debutant spinner Tom Hartley's 7 for 62, England dismissed India for 202 in pursuit of 231 as the home side went down 0-1. Ahead of the second Test, in Visakhapatnam on Friday (Feb 2), Bharat said Team India spoke about their batting approach after the Hyderabad Test but reaffirmed that the side is 'absolutely relaxed'.

Bharat told the reporters at the pre-match press conference, on Thursday (Feb 1), "After the game, the atmosphere is absolutely relaxed. They told us not to panic, which we are not. But then the instruction is very clear, it's a long Test series and we have played a lot of series like this in the past. And it is very clear to us to bat with freedom." He further revealed, "We also practised in the reverse before the first game. But playing out in the centre, it's the batters' individual plan."

Bharat even defended India batters' defensive approach after they fell for 202 in chase of 231 on Day 4 of the first Test in Hyderabad. Many batters such as Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, KL Rahul were criticised for not being able to counterattack, especially against debutant spinner Hartley. Bharat stated, "If the team demands us to play in a certain way, then we are up to it. We don't play the bowlers, we play the ball. On any given day, it can be experienced or inexperienced (bowler), there is nothing like inexperienced in cricket."

"On that particular day, if someone bowls well, you have to give credit to them," concluded the India keeper.

India were massively slammed for their lethargic approach when Pope stretched England's lead in their second essay and how their batters responded in a tricky chase, going into a shell. Thus, a lot of eyes are now on the inexperienced Indian team for the second Test in Vizag. They are already without Virat Kohli and have also lost the services of Jadeja and Rahul due to injury concerns.