Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Don’t believe the hype around pitches in India, says Michael Kasprowicz

Former Australia fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz said he doesn’t believe in the hype around the pitches being used in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, pointing out that the surfaces have been “typical” Indian wickets.

In the series, India won the first two Tests in Nagpur and New Delhi. But Australia came back in the third Test at Indore, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) rating the pitch “poor” where the tourists had won the match by nine wickets.

“I don’t believe the hype I reckon because for all the attention around the pitches they were typically Indian wickets. I realise this last one in Indore did a few tricks early on, but because they’re starting so early (9.30 am), maybe that little bit of moisture helps grab the ball. But at other stages later in the day, it wasn’t doing anything like that,” Kasprowicz was quoted as saying by The Herald and The Age.

Many former cricketers from both countries had been critical of the pitch in Indore, where the match got over even before lunch was taken on day three. “When I say don’t believe the hype, I know the odd ball was turning square, and it got a poor rating, but I remember turning up to the Bangalore Test in 1998, and I’ve got a picture of me standing on the wicket.”

“It honestly looks like a dry creek bed. There’s no grass, but it’s got these cracks and spider cracks all down the whole face of it. And you just go well, like that’s what we’re gonna play on. And guess what? We’ve got to adapt and adjust. That’s the game of Test cricket,” added Kasprowicz, a member of the Australian team which won the Test series in India in 2004.

Kasprowicz also felt that after suffering a meltdown of eight wickets for 28 runs in the second innings at New Delhi, Australia did well to avoid a batting collapse in Indore to get their first victory of the tour.

“Obviously, after the Delhi experience of that second inning, the Australians adapted to the conditions and did really well. And so come the second innings they were 1/76 and got through (to victory). (Travis) Head and Marnus (Labuschagne) batted really well. They found a way, and that’s what Australia’s been known to do over all these years.”

-IANS

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