Gautam Gambhir attacks Delhi pitchman despite India-West Indies full 5-day Test

India national cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir was not happy with the pitch that was presented for the second and final Test match of the series against the West Indies national cricket team.

Gautam Gambhir criticized the pitch curator at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium and stated that a better surface could have been created for the second Test match between India and West Indies.

Yes, we got the result on the fifth day, but again, I think nicknames should carry it – Gautam Gambhir

The second Test between the Shubman Gill-led team and the Roston Chase-led team lasted for a full five days. Although the hosts remained in control most of the time, West Indies also put up a good fight – much better than the first Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Batting first, India amassed 518/5d and then held West Indies for 248 runs before forcing a follow-on and bowling out the opposition again for 390. India then completed the run chase of 121 with 7 wickets in hand to register a 2-0 clean sweep.

Both the pacers and Indian spinners almost equally dominated the match, but Gautam Gambhir was disappointed that the pitch did not provide support to the fast bowlers.

“I thought we could have got a better wicket here. Yes, we got the score on the fifth day, but again, I think the wickets need to carry. I think there should be something for the fast bowlers as well. I know we keep talking about spinners playing an important role, but when you have probably two quality fast bowlers in your ranks, we still want them to be in the game as well.”

I think the first and most important thing to keep Test cricket alive is to play on good surfaces – Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir also said that the load was not there on the field, which is a worry, and stressed on playing Test cricket on good tracks to keep the game alive. He said:

“And it’s okay if there’s not enough (spin), but there has to be a load. So as we all saw (that) it wasn’t there, (it was) a bit worrying, and I think from now on, (I hope) we can get better wickets in Test cricket, because we all have a responsibility to keep Test cricket alive.”

“I think the first and most important thing to keep Test cricket alive is to play on good surfaces.”

I have always believed that world cricket needs West Indian cricket – Gautam Gambhir

India coach Gautam Gambhir was also very impressed with West Indies’ performance in the second innings of the Delhi Test and was hopeful of their resurgence. He said:

“I’ve always thought that world cricket needs West Indian cricket. That’s something that’s very important. It was very nice to see them batting. Obviously they’re an inexperienced side and there’s a lot of changes that have happened there, but the way they batted in the second innings will give them a lot of confidence.”

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