In the first Test match against South Africa, Team India suffered a loss by 30 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Following the humiliating defeat, former cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin criticised the hosts` team by saying that if you want to play on turning tracks, then your game against spin has to be good; otherwise, he advised not to play on such pitches.
He also said that if former players such as legendary Sachin Tendulkar, Amol Muzumdar, or Mithun Manhas could have played on the same wicket, the match could have gone to four days.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said, “I am gonna stick my neck out and say in another game in an era where spin bowling was combated very well. I will take the names Amol Muzumdar and Mithun Manhas, who is the BCCI President, and I won`t take all the names, but Sachin Tendulkar in his prime, the God of Cricket. If these guys had played on the same wicket against spin, this game would have gone to four days”.
“In a total of 16 batters, only three to four players have defended well. If you want to play on turning tracks, then your game against spin has to be good; otherwise, don`t play on such pitches as simple,” he added.
The former spinner also pointed out that Team India looks like facing fast bowling as a challenge, and the visiting teams practice facing spin bowling a lot more than the Indians. Ashwin feels that this is the difference between Team India and the Western teams in today`s date.
“We are the best players of spin going around in the world at this point in time. Most Western teams are better than India now because they come to India, they practice it a lot more, but we don`t practice enough of it. But we are superior players of fast bowling in many other venues right now because we consider that as a challenge, but not this. That is the difference,” said the 39-year-old former cricketer.
The second Test match between Team India and South Africa is scheduled to be played from November 22 at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati.
(With ANI Inputs)