Indian national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir was not happy with the pitch presented for the second and final Test match of the series against the West Indies national cricket team.
Gautam Gambhir criticized the pitch curator of Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium and said that a better surface could have been made for the India vs West Indies second Test match.
Yes, we got the result on the fifth day, but still, I think the Knicks have to stick together – Gautam Gambhir
The second Test between the team captained by Shubman Gill and the team captained by Roston Chase lasted for five days. Although the hosts were in control for most of the time, West Indies also put up a good fight – much better than in the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Batting first, India scored 518/5d and then bowled out West Indies for 248 before following on and bowling out the opposition for 390. Then, India completed the target of 121 runs with 7 wickets remaining and registered a 2-0 clean sweep.
Both Indian fast bowlers and spinners dominated the game almost equally, but Gautam Gambhir was disappointed with the pitch not helping the fast bowlers.
“I thought we could have had a better wicket here. Yes, we got the result on the fifth day, but still, I think the nicks need to continue. I think there should be something for the fast bowlers as well. I know we keep talking about spinners playing an important role, but when you have maybe two quality fast bowlers, we still want them to be in the game as well.”
I think the first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is to play on good surfaces – Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir further said that the pitch lacked carries, which was worrying, and stressed on playing Test cricket on good tracks to keep the game alive. He said:
“And it’s okay if it’s not enough [turn]But it has to be taken there. so where did we all look [that] Carrie wasn’t there, [it] Was a little worrying, and I think going forward, [I hope] We can get better wickets in Test cricket, because it is the responsibility of all of us to keep Test cricket alive.
“I think the first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is to play on good surfaces.”
I have always believed that world cricket needs West Indies cricket – Gautam Gambhir
India head coach Gautam Gambhir was also impressed with West Indies’ performance in the second innings of the Delhi Test and was hopeful of their resurgence. He said:
“I have always believed that world cricket needs West Indies cricket. It is something that is very important. It was great to see them fight. And obviously, they are an inexperienced team and there have been a lot of changes, but the way they fought in the second innings will give them a lot of confidence.”
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