Nagpur pitch for India-South Africa Test rated poor by ICC

The fourth and final Test will be played at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi from December 3, with the hosts firm favourites to complete a 3-0 scoreline. “Because only thing we talk about is the pitch and when we were in South Africa, the only thing we talked about is how badly we played”, insisted Kohli. Our batsmen showed character in three innings. India completed a whitewash, bringing a grim end to Australia’s tour to India.

Mishra feels that it is South Africa’s strategy, rather absence of it, against spinning deliveries that did them in. The rank turners here have proved to be their bane.

Batting first in Nagpur, India huffed and puffed their way to 215 runs in the first innings.

Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin hit out at Rodney Hogg on Tuesday after the former Australian pacer said his success during the ongoing home series against South Africa is mainly due to spin-friendly wickets.

Castling the risky A.B.de Villiers twice in Mohali and removing the set duo of Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis and scalping the experienced J-P. Runs are coming a lot quicker. We need patience with the ball and believing a chance will come. The series is already in India’s pocket. But India’s Test captain Virat Kohli had aggressively defended the Nagpur pitch, saying such a surface was only normal in the sub-continental conditions.

While they remain the world’s number one Test team, the tourists have had to endure the disappointment of losing their first series overseas in nine years. The spinners have been bailing the batsmen out, but it’s only a matter of time when answers from the bat would be needed.

However, with the Jamtha pitch at BCCI president Shashank Manohar’s hometown Nagpur incurring the wrath of ICC match referee Jeff Crowe, who rated it as sub-standard, the focus will be firmly on the pitch at the national capital. “We haven’t experienced this type of challenge before”, Amla said after his valiant effort, asked to count the positives after the series defeat. “I don’t want to say it’s good or a bad thing, but every nation is trying to win a Test series”.

Thirty-three of the 40 wickets that fell in the Nagpur Test went to the spinners.

Look at the quality of India’s top-six batsmen and spinners.

Like all South Africans who have fronted media interactions before him, Birrell refused to blame the pitches or the conditions for the way things had panned out, and sought to find other reasons that might have contributed. The win against South Africa was his first series-win at home as skipper. One should note though that they haven’t blamed the pitch for that. None of the VCA officials were immediately available for a comment but aformer curator of the association Pravin Hinganikar said there must have been instruction from the team management.

South Africa on the other hand are still sweating on the fitness of Dale Steyn.