Former India cricketer and chief selector Sandeep Patil questioned the team’s preparation for the England Test series, saying Virat Kohli’s team did not put in the hard yards and are paying the price for it after falling 2-0 behind.

Writing for The Quint, Patil said that during his playing days, former captains like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev did not take any breaks nor did they allow players to take breaks. He advised the Indian captain and players to talk less and practice more.

“We all clearly remember captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri’s joint press conference before leaving for the tour of England earlier this summer. One bold statement stood out: “We have enough days to acclimatise in England and we are going to enjoy coffee”. Seeing the performance of the Indian team in the first two Tests so far, they are truly only enjoying the coffee,” Patil wrote.

India took a five-day break before the first Test in Birmingham and that has attracted criticism from all quarters.

“When practice games were arranged before the Test series, the Indian team members instead chose to travel around Europe. Is BCCI going to ask for a clarification now?

“It was evident that the lack of preparation was the main cause for India’s poor show in whites. You simply cannot appear in an exam without studying and this English paper was going to be a tough one anyway,” Patil added.

“Cricket has seen many changes in the last four decades but if you don’t practise you will never achieve the goal. Talk less, practise more and play cricket is my advice.”