The captain of the Indian Test cricket team, Virat Kohli is fed up of questions regarding the poor standard of pitches in the ongoing 3-match IndvsNZ test series. The Indian captain looked annoyed when a reporter asked him questions and cited the pitch as the reason why there were no centuries in the series.
Virat tried to maintain a straight face but his frustration was easily visible. He said that “good bowling and some mistakes” prevented the batsmen from scoring centuries. The reporter then asked if pitch was a factor, to which he retorted,
“You think the pitch was a reason? I didn’t think so. If you felt that, that’s your point of view.”
The reporter then said that there were 80+ scores and no centuries, to which Virat immediately replied, “This happens. It happens in cricket.”
The reason for his anger is clear: India won both the test matches – first in Kanpur by 197 runs and second in Kolkata by 178 runs – and took the team to the top of the pyramid. India is now no. 1 in ICC test rankings. The second test played at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata became the point of debate when the pitch starting turning from the beginning itself. Historically, the pitch had assisted batsmen first and began turning only after the 3rd day of the test. Uneven bounces, which could have caused serious injuries to the batsmen, were also a regular feature. Virat Kohli himself got out on a ball that kept very low.
Every home team wants pitches which favor their strengths. For India, spin had always been the strong point, and therefore, spin-friendly tracks are laid for the matches.
But, compromising with the pitch to such an extent that it could prove dangerous, cannot be validated by any reason, or any win, no matter how big it is. We know this, and probably, Virat understands too!
