Dean Jones expects India to bounce back after Lord's defeat

Dean Jones

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones backed the Indian cricket team to bounce back after being thrashed by an innings by England in the second Test at Lord's yesterday. "I'm expecting that the Indian team will bounce back. They got one bad day when the ball swung around (at Lord's). Look it is very important to bounce back, that is what sport is all about.

"One bad Test match doesn't make a bad cricket team, not at all," Jones remarked at the launch of Star Sports' campaign for the Unimoni Asia Cup here today. At present, India are 0-2 down in the five-match Test rubber after losing the first two contests at Birmingham and Lord's. "It can happen with the conditions over there (at Lords). There are sometimes where you can be over analysed (with the) technique a little bit, mount hills becomes mountain, you think too much about it, that is just the way it went. They have to regroup and come back now," said Jones.

Jones felt that the ball swung more in the Lord's Test than any other Test any-where in the world in the last three years. "The stats proved that the ball moved in this (Lord's) Test match more than any other Test match in last three years anywhere in the world. "And you have the two-three best guys around, particularly James Anderson. Unfortunately, they (India) walked into a storm and they just couldn't get out of it. But, hopefully, there will be better weather in the next matches," he opined.

Jones said now it was up to the Indian captain Virat Kohli and head coach Rvi Shastri to instill confidence among the players and make them work hard to get things right against the moving ball. "As a coach it is difficult to bring back the confidence. Ravi has got a big job, and Virat too, to bring the guys back and the only way to do it is through hard work. "Just go in there and have net practice after net practice, try and get yourself a thousand balls, get used to it again, regroup, come back, work on your defence and make sure that what is your game plan. When it is swinging like this, what is your game plan," he said.

Kohli suffered from a back strain in the second Test. Asked whether Kohli will opt out of next month's Asia Cup in the UAE, Jones said,"The guy that I know, Virat Kohli, he will play on one leg if he has to (in the Asia Cup). "Workloads are very important on players, there is no doubt about that. This (Asia Cup) is a prestigious tournament and he would want to be there. "I don't know how bad his back is. And the good thing is that if he (Kohli) doesn't get there for whatever reasons - touch-wood he does - but if he doesn't, it is another opportunity for (another) player to stand up (and deliver)," he said.

The Asia Cup is to be played in the 50-over format and India are up against arch-rivals Pakistan on September 19 in what is expected to be a rip-roaring marquee clash.

Also Read: Nasser Hussain Takes A Jibe At Indian Team And Says It's Men Against Boys

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