• Source:JND
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India wicketkeeper KS Bharat asserted that players in the squad are ready to adapt to any situation if the team demands ahead of the second Test against England in Visakhapatnam. India lost the series opener in Hyderabad by 28 runs due to their conventional approach when the ball was turning drastically on the fourth day of the match.

Bharat, who is yet to prove his mettle with the bat, said that batters are not hesitant to play reverse or pedal sweep shots against spinners.

Most of the Indian batters seemed reluctant to opt for the sweep shots while Ollie Pope's standout knock of 196 boasted the majority of those shots in the second innings.

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Defending home batters, Bharat clarified that players are free to play their shots and also ready to adjust according to team needs.

"In our team meetings we spoke about the things we could have done better and yes, we certainly have few plans. (We are) definitely looking at the way how they went about the first game, playing some reverse. That's something we have definitely worked on," the wicketkeeper said in the pre-match press conference.

"Playing in India, we play a lot of cricket on these tracks. It's not that we don't know how to sweep, reverse sweep or pedal, but on that particular day depending on the situation of the team, we as batters take our calls.

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"And it is very clear to us to bat with freedom. We also practised the reverse (sweep) before the first game. But playing out in the centre, it's the batters' individual plan. If the team demands us to play in a certain way, then we are up to it," Bharat added.

Debutant Tom Hartley's seven-wicket haul staged India's collapse in the final innings chasing 231 to which Bharat credited the spinner despite being a rookie in the red-ball format.

"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," he said.

"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," the wicketkeeper added.

The second Test between India and England will commence on Friday at Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam.