Former West Indies skipper Viv Richards has joined the bandwagon among the former cricket experts who have spoken in favor of the Motera pitch which was used for the Pink-Ball Test between India and England. The match finished within two days and was one of the shortest Test matches ever played. While the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott have defended the surface, Alastair Cook, Michael Vaughan, David Lloyd, and others have slammed it left, right and center.
Meanwhile, the former West Indian legend has given his clarification on the Motera pitch in a video posted on his official Facebook page. He even called for a similar sort of wicket for the fourth and final Test at the same venue from February 4.
Also Read: England Batting Coach Jonathan Trott Denies Blaming Pitch For Third Test Loss
“I’ve been asked questions recently about the Test match that was played in India… the second and third Test match against England. And I am a little confused about the question really because there seems to be a lot of moaning and groaning about the wicket that they were playing on. I just felt that the ones who are moaning, in my opinion, should realise that there are times that you’re going to get a seaming track, a ball that is basically jumping off a good length and everyone thinks that’s a problem for batters. There are times batters sometimes cope with that.”
He further said that rather than mourning and complaining about the pitch, it gives England a chance to come back hard and make a statement on the series in the final game.
England Have a Chance For Comeback: Viv Richards
“Rather than the moaning and groaning, especially just recently how quickly that Test match was over. It gives England an opportunity and a chance to assess things, to believe that for some reason the wicket that they’re going to encounter in the fourth Test is going to be the same. If I was India or I had anything to do with the preparations of the wicket, I would bring in very much the same,” Richards added.
Meanwhile, the loss has put England out of the race for the World Test Championship final. India, on the other hand, have to ensure that they should not lose the Test match and they will be playing the final against New Zealand on June 18 at Lord’s.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma Defends Motera Pitch After Pink-Ball Test Finishes In Less Than 2 Days