Rishabh Pant issues first reaction as pitch chatter boils over to Guwahati: ‘We feel the wicket is…’
All eyes are on the pitch for the second Test between India and South Africa. Here's what expected to happen.
With what happened at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, all eyes are on the pitch for the second Test between India and South Africa at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. Just an hour before the start of the crucial game, where India needs to register a victory to draw level, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik shared a glimpse into the 22 yards, revealing the game will be different as compared to the series opener.
The first Test of the two-match series saw India being unable to chase the target of 124, being bundled out for 93 as Simon Harmer ran riot in the final innings, taking four wickets. Throughout the Test, the entire chatter was about how India requested the pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee to offer a spinning track.
Also Read: India vs South Africa Live Score, 2nd Test Day 1: Check our live coverage
Sharing a picture of the pitch, Karthik said that the first hour would be challenging for the batters, but the decent amount of grass will make it a different Test match.
“Decent amount of grass on a red soil pitch. Going to be a challenging first hr and a very different test match to Kolkata for sure,” Dinesh Karthik wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
At the toss before the second Test, India's stand-in captain Rishabh Pant was also asked about the pitch and answering Ravi Shastri's question, the wicketkeeper-batter said, "We feel the wicket is good for batting. But at the same time, bowling first is not a bad option either.”
India's poor luck with the toss continued in the second Test as Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma won the flip of the coin and opted to bat first.
India made two changes to their playing XI, bringing in Sai Sudharsan and Nitish Kumar Reddy in place of Axar Patel and Shubman Gill.
On the other hand, South Africa made one change, bringing in Senuran Muthusamy in the place of Corbin Bosch.
The pitch debate
Midway through the first Test in Kolkata, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly stirred the hornet's nest, revealing the pitch wasn't watered for multiple days on the behest of the Indian management as they wanted a spinning track.
After the loss in Kolkata, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir fronted up to the media, accepting that he had asked for a turning track and the curator had done a good job. However, he put the blame firmly on his batters for failing to chase the total of 124.
Former cricketers such as Michael Vaughan, Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Cheteshwar Pujara all acknowledged that the pitch wasn't ideal and that the hosts should have looked to play on a sporting wicket.
India were also without their captain, Shubman Gill, in the first Test as he suffered a neck injury midway through his innings in Kolkata. He just faced three balls before witnessing pain in the back of his neck. The 26-year-old has now also been ruled out of the second Test.
