Why is it difficult to bat first in tough conditions?
In a generation where teams opt to chase, it’s already a confusing thing for teams batting first to decide on what’s a defendable target. Now especially in low scoring games, it turns out to be even more crucial. The reason for this is that the team that bats first is unsure about what’s a defendable target and so they set a target that’s seemingly very difficult in tough conditions. In pursuit of the score they had set in mind, they lose wickets by playing shots that aren’t suited for that sort of surface. As a result they end up with a score that’s below par purely because of the score they had set in mind. As a team batting 2nd, the players have already got an idea on how the pitch plays and what sort of approach should they carry as they know the target that needs to be achieved.
An ideal thought process:
So how should a team that’s batting first approach their innings in tough batting conditions? Instead of setting themselves a target, the batsmen should look to play themselves in, take calculated risks by constantly rotating the strike and play the ball to its merit. If a team manages to do this in the first ten overs, then they will have a lot of wickets in hand to press the accelerator in search of good score but going right from the start is a bad idea. Having said all these, batting 2nd especially in a low scoring match is always an advantage.
