Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir was trying to poke fun at his players, which is why he asserted that the Eden Gardens curator gave exactly the pitch the team requested in the first Test against the Proteas.
The cricketer-turned-expert believes Gambhir indirectly asked his players why they couldn’t produce despite being given a track for which they had prepared. While experts and fans questioned the surface, Gambhir defended it, claiming that the curator was quite helpful.
South Africa won the Test by 30 runs in three days, taking a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. On Day 3, they defended a target of 124 runs on a rank turner.
“Before I could blink, the Test match ended. Gautam Gambhir, India’s coach, thinks it’s just the wicket they needed. Very interesting remarks there. Perhaps he is mocking the players, saying, ‘This is what we prepared, why didn’t we perform?'” de Villiers wrote on his YouTube account.
Have they [Indian batters] gotten worse at spin? De Villiers asked.
Last year, India lost 0-3 against New Zealand in a three-match Test series. Following the defeat to the Proteas, de Villiers stated that Indian batsmen have not suddenly become the worst spinners, but that opposing sides are better prepared for the circumstances.
“An unusual tendency has emerged in India over the last three to five years. Obviously, beating India at home is extremely difficult, but things have changed over the previous three to five years. Some issues for India. They’ve lost four games there, which is unheard of. What is occurring here? Have they become the worst spin players? I do not think so. “Oppositions are better prepared and understand the situation,” de Villiers said.
De Villiers said that India should stop asking for rank turners and instead, seek pitches which provide a fair contest between bat and ball at least for the first four days.
“Maybe India have to change the makeup of the pitches and not ask for turners. Make it more of a fair Test pitch that will last at least four days,” he said.
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