The Indian batsmen completely surrendered to the New Zealand bowlers in the second Test against New Zealand. The two most senior batsmen of the team - Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma - also could not do much, after which they were criticized a lot. Their failure to score runs is a matter of concern, especially when India is going to go on a long tour of Australia next month.

However, the Indian team management is not too worried about the twin failures of the two batting greats and the team's assistant coach Abhishek Nair said that the two senior batsmen should be treated with more patience.

Abhishek Nair on the form of Virat-Rohit

"I have been a top player myself and so when someone who has gone through this journey, a lot of times it is about giving them their space and trusting that they will come back, they will work hard. Look everyone has worked really hard. Everyone wants to do well. Everyone, whether it is Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or anyone else, is putting in effort; the attitude is fantastic."

Both are working hard.

"I think they are working hard and sometimes you have to have a little patience even with the greatest players and they might go through some tough times and I'm sure soon we will have a lot more to praise from everyone else as well," Nair said at a press conference at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, two days ahead of the third Test against New Zealand.

Having lost a series at home for the first time in 12 years and playing a crucial Test series in Australia, the Wankhede Test, though insignificant from the series point of view, holds immense importance for India as it is an opportunity to put up a good show and fly back to Australia in a more buoyant mood.

Nair said that as a support staff, the upcoming Test at the Wankhede is as important as any other match and they are hoping luck is with the home team after losing two consecutive matches.

Abhishek's opinion on World Championship

Nair said, "Whenever you are playing for India, whenever you wear this jersey, there is pressure on you. Every week is important. Every match is important. I am talking on behalf of the support staff and we are not narrow-minded in terms of thinking about the WTC or the Australia tour. I think what is ahead of us is this match at Wankhede. Hopefully, the home conditions will favor me and the team.

"So I think the approach is very simple, stay in the present, take it day by day. If we can overcome this difficult test, I think it will be a step forward for the team to where we ultimately want to go."

Mumbai players will do wonders at Wankhede.

Nair, who hails from Mumbai and has a lot of experience playing at the Wankhede, said he is hopeful of trying his luck in the third Test. He said he is expecting the three Mumbai players in the team - Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sarfaraz Khan - to perform well in the third Test.

Nair said, "So for us, it's more about introspection and what we can do as a team. There is always an advantage, but I always believe that what you have done in the past doesn't really matter in the present. It's about how you play on that particular day. So hopefully in the next few days Sarfraz and Yashasvi and all of us will provide a lot of information to the group, which they already have, but adding a little more about how you can deal with these situations.''