A four-match Test series between the two heavyweights will start on February 9 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur.
Before the first Test match between India and Australia, former India head coach Ravi Shastri categorically denied allegations that the Nagpur surface had been altered to the hosts’ advantage. A four-match Test series between the two heavyweights will start on February 9 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur.
Many have asserted that the curators of the Nagpur pitch are working to provide a wicket that would help the home team, despite the fact that there has been considerable discussion around the Nagpur field. Prior to the first red-ball match, former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri refuted reports that the management was working on a doctored surface.
As most of India’s top batters bat right-handed, there have been numerous rumours that the wicket is being prepared in a way that will make it accommodating to right-handed batters and challenging for left-handed ones. Due to the large number of left-handed batters in Australia’s lineup, these rumours are spreading quickly.
That is nonsense. The excitement around this first Test match is more intense than anything else. “I’m sure someone will make a hundred at the conclusion of this first Test because it always happens, you get 15mm grass, 18mm grass, or 12mm grass in different locations around the ground,” Shastri told SEN on Saturday.
“He will go and ask, ‘What’s wrong with the pitch?’ if someone gets a hundred or an 80 or higher on that pitch. You adhere to the situation, remain there, pick solid shots, and score runs. But good luck to you if you enter the game believing you would smash every ball, Shastri continued.
We’ve never had issues with pitches. Vijay Shastri
According to India’s former head coach, the visitors should only focus on playing good cricket, and the hosts should be allowed to set a surface that works for them. They should also be reminded that a match referee would be in charge of keeping order.
Shastri said, “If the ball is going to turn from there, so be it.”
“Well, what? It’s simple: play how you see fit, both sides must play on the field, the match referee is in charge. It’s home conditions, so do what works for you.
“In my career, we never voiced complaints about pitches, even if they were straightforward.
“Don’t make any excuses; just get started; nobody’s going to die on that surface after three days.”
Come on, you know that’s what you expect in India when the camera lenses are that fantastic quality that they can turn green grass brown.
