Michael Vaughan slams 'boring' Indian pitches: Details here
What's the story
Former England cricket team captain Michael Vaughan has slammed the Indian pitches in the ongoing Test series against South Africa. Team India won the first Test by 203 runs after scoring a bulk of runs. And now in the ongoing second Test, the side posted 600-plus runs in the first innings. This is what Vaughan said regarding the pitches used.
2nd Test
India ride on Kohli's 254* to score big
In Pune, India declared at 601/5 after a Virat Kohli special. India rode on Kohli's record-breaking unbeaten 254 to gain authority. Besides the skipper, Mayank Agarwal (108), Cheteshwar Pujara (58), Ajinkya Rahane (59) and Ravindra Jadeja (91) all went to amass important scores. The pitch assisted batting at large and also had something for the pacers. However, SA fell flat against India's charge.
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Test match cricket pitches in India are boring: Vaughan
"Test match cricket pitches in India are boring...The first 3/4 days the contest is far too in favour of the bat...needs more action for the bowler...My thought of the day," tweeted the former England skipper on Friday.
Information
This has been the nature of Indian pitches
Vaughan has a point here but this has been the nature of Indian pitches for a while now. The first three-four days assist batting. We saw the same during the first Test in Vizag where both sides scored big totals in the first innings.
Ashes 2019
Ashes 2019 saw England produce brilliant surfaces
The pitches during the Ashes 2019 series set the standards. We had a brilliant contest between bat and ball and things were really close. All five Test matches went close and there were some breathtaking moments thorughout the series. The series ended 2-2 with Aussies retaining the urn. Even Sachin Tendulkar had backed good pitches to see Test cricket's revival.
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Tendulkar had batted for good pitches in Test cricket
"The heart of Test cricket is the kind of surface that you play on. If you provide good pitches, cricket cannot be boring and damp. There will always be those exciting moments, bowling spells, great batting and that is what people want," Tendulkar said.
Our take
A lot depends on how teams bat as well
It isn't just about the pitches though and a lot depends on how teams bat. In Pune, SA lost three quick wickets after India's charge. In fact, all three wickets were taken by pacers. The pitch didn't slow down and SA cannot have any excuses for playing the shots they did. Indian pitches aren't the best but visiting batsmen need to show more character.