India vs South Africa | Fine Line Between Fearless & Careless Cricket: Rathour

With the Indian team looking to plan for the upcoming World T20 in Australia, newly-appointed batting coach Vikram Rathour has made it clear that the youngsters coming into the setup have to make sure they are disciplined and not careless in their approach.

Indian captain Virat Kohli had also only recently make it clear that the younger players will have to make the most of the few chances they are afforded.

"At times, we over emphasise on technique. It is more about the mindset at this level, getting your gameplan right. As far as Rishabh is concerned, he is a phenomenal player, he just needs to sort out his gameplan, needs to bring in a little bit of discipline in his cricket," said Rathour ahead of the 2nd T20I in Mohali.

"All the young players need to understand that there is a fine line between fearless cricket and careless cricket. What the team management is asking from them is fearless cricket, having clear gameplans and playing with intent but at the same time, you can't be careless. I am sure they are smart enough to understand that."

Rathour seconded the Indian captain’s thoughts and said that at the highest level one will get limited chances and it is important take them.

"They (Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri) have said five matches but it is not going to be a specific number. What they meant was that you need to grab your opportunities when you get them. They (youngsters) have played so much of cricket. They have come though after doing so well. I don't think it is a massive issue. The team will be backing them fully."

Rathour singled out Rishabh Pant as an example, stating that he will need to be more careful with shot selection in the future.

"We want him to play all his shots. That is what makes him special, he is an impact player but at the same time you can't be careless."

India’s major problems lie in the middle order and on the West Indies tour Shreyas Iyer made more than a case for his selection. But could he and Manish Pandey solve India's middle-order muddle?

"Those two are very fine cricketers who have done really well in domestic cricket. Shreyas has got a good start (in ODIs against the West Indies). Manish has done well in the past and made a comeback after performing consistently in domestic cricket. I am confident they will come good, they just need to be more consistent."

India want to be able to bat deep in the shortest format of the game, which puts the onus on the bowling all-rounders like Krunal Pandya and Washington Sundar to pull their weight as batsmen.

"We are fortunate to have so many all-rounders in this T20 team. Most of them can bat. In the past, we did not take T20s seriously but now we are preparing for the World Cup. These 20-21 games are very important.

"By batting deep, we can go harder in the beginning and we will be trying different things in the coming series and see what works for us."

On his new role with the national team, he added: "Extreme early days. I was laughing that my debut game was washed out at home (in Dharamsala). This (Punjab) is also home.

"I have been part of the system as a national selector from 2012 to 2016. I have seen and worked with most of them. Of course, this a different job. Coaching is something I really enjoy. I till take me some time to get used to it."