Xtra Time Web Desk: India captain Virat Kohli on Wednesday opened up on the recent pitch debate surrounding the Motera track after the Pink Ball Test finished in two days. According to Kohli, there have been too many talks about tracks which favours spin but nothing is being talked about the seaming tracks. Kohli cited the examples of the tracks they were offered to play the test matches in early 2020 where they were outplayed by the BlackCaps, who won both the test matches at Basin Reserve and Hagley Oval inside 3 days.
“We lost in New Zealand inside 3 days. No one said anything about the pitch back then. Our strength is we focus on ourselves and not the pitch. We need to be honest with ourselves about this narrative (of spinning tracks),” Kohli said on the eve of the fourth Test between India and England at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
The third Test match between India and England in Ahmedabad finished inside two days – the first time it has happened in over 50 years, and even though we are just one day away from a fresh game, several former cricketers are still trying to come to terms with it. Kohli’s deputy Ajinkya Rahane echoed his captain’s thoughts and mentioned how relating India’s performance to the nature of a pitch is unfair, and Kohli feels the same.
“I believe there is too much noise about spinning tracks. Our media should present the view that spinning tracks are fine in the subcontinent. The reason behind our success as a team is that we haven’t cribbed about any surface we have played on. We have always tried to improve,” the India captain added.
“No clue why the focus is so much on the ball or the pitch. Neither sides batsmen were good enough to tackle the pitch in 3rd Test. I maintain it was a case of the skill on display rather than the pitch being a bad one.”