Discarded India batter Ajinkya Rahane made a significant comment regarding the Kolkata pitch ahead of the second Test against South Africa. The match will commence on November 22 in Guwahati, while the first Test took place in Kolkata. India lost the opener by 30 runs as the game concluded in just two and a half days. It was a low-scoring affair throughout, with batters from both sides finding it difficult to score.
Chasing 124 in the final innings, the hosts were bowled out for 93. Rahane observed that the Kolkata pitch, unlike in the past, offered little help to spinners and appeared different this time. He considered it a challenging surface for batters, despite doubts raised about their technique and defensive play.
“Whenever we have played in Kolkata, it has been a black soil wicket that has not helped spinners in the past. Fast bowlers have been in play, with the new ball and later reverse swing comes into play. But here the wicket was challenging.”
“You expect rank turners in India in the last five to six years yes, but this was challenging for the batters. The bounce was low, carry was uneven. You can say as much you want from outside that stay at the crease, show good defense. But frankly, it was challenging,” he said on ‘Ash ki Baat’.
Rahane Stands By Indian Batters, Calls For Enhanced Test Preparation
While Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir emphasized that batters needed to improve their technique after the first Test, Ajinkya Rahane defended them, noting they were not accustomed to such wickets. He highlighted the importance of preparing similar pitches in domestic cricket for practice. Rahane asserted the poor performance in the first Test was not the batters’ fault.
“In domestic cricket, we rarely play on turning wickets, so batters aren’t fully prepared. Success abroad comes from good preparation on seaming and bouncy tracks, but turning wickets remain a real challenge,” he explained.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.