Trott’s urging England show right mentality
Jonathan Trott has cautioned England’s batsmen not to get “too desperate” as they look to find a way to combat India’s rampant spinners, Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel. The duo have taken a combined 42 wickets in the series so far, at a wince-inducing average of 13.02, and their dominance has seen the tourists dismissed for scores of 134, 164, 112 and 81 on turning tracks since winning the opening match. England face the unenviable challenge of returning to the site of their ignominious two-day defeat in the day/night third Test and will be hoping the combination of the returning red ball and a fresh pitch will help them get back in the contest. “Of course it’s disappointing the way the last two Tests have gone, but you don’t become a bad side over two Tests,” said the batting consultant. “Yes it hurts, but we want to pull our socks up and do much better for England, it makes you doubly determined for the next one. “It’s about being clear in how they want to go about it and not being too desperate. Sometimes you can want it too much. So getting the right kind of mentality is important.” The England camp is unlikely to have been a joyous environment over the last 48 hours, with the players unable to leave their team hotel due to Covid19 restrictions and no net facilities available to work out any frustrations from their previous performance. But Trott gave a surprisingly cheery assessment of the mood. “The camp is buoyant, looking forward to getting back in the nets and getting it to 2-2,” he said.