Citing a green track which saw the first-ever day night Test between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide, which was on at the same time as the Nagpur game, wind up inside three days, they are claiming that different yardsticks can not be applied to judge the quality of a pitch.
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While the Feroz Shah Kotla track is not expected to be a rank turner, the primary character of the pitch has been of low and slow nature, which is unlikely to change.
The experienced leg-spinner is happy with his form during the series and asserted that the understanding between the Indian bowlers is responsible for their success.
It was South Africa’s first series-defeat on foreign soil in nine years, a period which included 15 trips away from home. Amla admitted it was a “difficult” wicket to bat on, but said his team had tried its best to adjust to the conditions.
“One consolation would be that the conditions we played in”.
The Nagpur pitch, which had observers and the South African team in a spin, has officially been deemed poor by the match referee. India have won a series and they have outplayed us.
Adelaide, therefor, made for a better contest because every skill component in the game – batting, pace and spin bowling – had a role to play in different passages of play.
And as they entered the Kotla ground, the Saffers were in for a surprise. “He stepped up in a big way for us”.
It is contradictory to what actually happens in Tests in India. Yes, it is a pitch that is in the news, not the team selection. Former Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi has been the strongest critic of the Nagpur pitch and called it a “wrestling pit”.
“We have had a look at the pitch”. Hopefully we can see that in the next Test. Show that we’re here to fight.
The visitors were naturally eager to have a look at the pitch to be used for the final test starting on Thursday and assistant coach Adrian Birell was hopeful it would last longer. “We need him 100% fit before we play him in a Test match”, said Birrell.
This is the highest wicket-fall in a single day in India after 20 wickets fell in a day during the India versus Australia match in Mumbai, 2004. “Non-Indian commenting on the conditions in India and I reckon probably 80 percent said “mind your business and go back to Australia and worry about your own country’ which is fair enough”.
When contacted on Tuesday, Daljit Singh, the BCCI’s chief curator, said: “I haven’t seen the report yet. We take the stumps and put it behind and use the rough there to try and simulate maybe what we’re going to get in the match”, he said.
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India’s series victory has triggered a war of words between some of the leading cricketers in the world.
