'First innings score is very important': Former India coach

NEW DELHI: As the

Border-Gavaskar Trophy

enters its decisive phase, with the five-match series level at 1-1 after three Tests, the focus shifts to the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Former India coach Lalchand Rajput has highlighted the importance of a strong first innings score and called for India's batters to step up to seize control of the series in the Test that begins on Thursday.
"We have to really get a big score if you want to win a Test match. The first innings score is very important. From the top three or four batters, one batter has to get a big hundred," Rajput, who is currently the coach of the UAE national team, said in an exclusive interview with Timesofindia.com.

While Rajput expressed confidence in India's bowling, he noted the need for batters to deliver in the upcoming matches.

"Our bowling is good. Jasprit Bumrah is a match-winner in himself," he said, praising India’s pace spearhead.
Rajput also acknowledged the contributions of Akash Deep and Nitish Reddy, while pointing out Ravindra Jadeja's contributions with both bat and ball in Brisbane.
With R Ashwin retiring after the third Test, Rajput suggested Washington Sundar could be a strong replacement.
"Transition will be smooth"

Discussing Ashwin's unexpected retirement and the earlier departures of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from T20Is, Rajput said these marked the beginning of a natural transition for the Indian team.
"There will always be a transition period. All big teams go through it. Some of the players will retire at the same time, and there will be new players coming in," he explained.
Rajput expressed confidence in India's future, citing the strength of its talent pool. "We got enough players with our ‘A’ team doing well, and because of the IPL [Indian Premier League], we have so many players on the bench as well. So, there will be good players coming in. The transition will be very smooth," he concluded.