India skipper Hardik Pandya on Sunday slammed the standard of pitches used in the ongoing series against New Zealand and called the pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium a “shocker”.
India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said the curator is the “right person” to describe the track prepared for the second T20I against New Zealand. India skipper Hardik Pandya on Sunday slammed the standard of pitches used in the ongoing series against New Zealand and called the pitch at the Ekana Cricket Stadium a “shocker”. The ball turned in the first T20I in Ranchi and it was no different on Sunday when New Zealand were restricted to 99 for eight. India chased down the target with only one ball to spare.
“The curator is the right person to answer that question (on pitch). But definitely we knew it would be a big challenge and luckily we controlled the game.
“Anything in the range of 120-130 would have been really challenging. We did well to restrict them to 99 and it was an achievable target,” Mhambrey said at the post-match press conference.
Mhambrey further said the wicket looked challenging from the outset.
“When we saw the wicket, we realised it was on the drier side. There was a little grass covering on the middle, but there was none on both ends. When we came yesterday, it looked like it would turn and we realised it would be challenging,” he said.
The former Mumbai seamer lauded the bowlers for doing a fine job in the second match.
India left out tearaway pacer Umran Malik for an extra spinner in Yuzvendra Chahal, who bagged figures of 2-1-4-1.
The other three spinners in Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, and Deepak Hooda also took one wicket each while bowling economically.
He said Chahal bowled in the powerplay as a right-hander was batting during that phase of the game on a turning wicket.
“Chahal was included because we felt an additional spinner would help us. It really did as he bowled well for us.
“You take decisions on the basis of surface and instincts. Hardik possibly felt that a leg-spinner would help in that situation since a right-hander was batting and it was turning. Possibly that is why he bowled in the powerplay,” Mhambrey said.
