When going gets tough, important for team management to look after players, says VVS Laxman

A week later since their history-making win in Adelaide, Virat Kohli’s men saw the other side of life, thanks to Australia’s series-levelling 146-run win in Perth and now the visitors, ranked No.1 in Tests, have suddenly started feeling the pressure to reclaim the lead in Melbourne. And it is in such tricky situations that the team needs to stay even closer with the management backing the players is what former great VVS Laxman feels.

Eyeing India’s first-ever Test series win in Australia, Kohli’s men had the perfect start by winning the first game, something which the Asians did for the first time, but Time Paine’s men came back strongly in the second Test played at the new Perth Stadium. Kohli himself hit a magnificent hundred in the match but a collective failure of the Indian batters saw the visitors struggling in the match.

Laxman, who was the chief architect in recording one of India’s biggest victories in Test cricket which was against the Baggy Greens in 2001 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, said it is the responsibility of the team management to instil confidence in each player when the going gets tough, as it is post-Perth.

Need to ensure every player is in the right mental space

“The role of the leadership group and the team management is very crucial because when the chips are down and one is going through a low phase, it becomes mandatory that the leadership group ensures there is team bonding and keep motivating and ensuring that each and every player is in the right mental space,” the Indian Express quoted Laxman as saying while speaking on ways the visitors can bounce back in the ongoing series.

The former Indian cricketer who has predicted a 3-1 win for India in the series, recently said that he had thought of quitting the game after failing to play for India in the 2003 World Cup but convinced himself later not to do so, said factors like anxiety, frustration and self-doubt often harm cricketers no matter how experienced they are and tend to show their mental hardness.

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