- 16 hours ago
This Special Report features cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar and Cricket Association of Bengal President Sourav Ganguly analysing a recent Indian batting collapse while chasing a low total. Gavaskar strongly refutes the notion that the pitch was to blame, attributing the loss to the batsmen's flawed approach and lack of experience on such surfaces due to not playing enough domestic cricket. He contrasts this with Sourav Ganguly's view that the team should play on better pitches. Gavaskar stated, 'So it is just poor technique and poor temperament, which has got us into this situation.' The discussion also touches upon the absence of the injured Shubman Gill and whether the team management's strategy of demanding turning tracks is backfiring, with Gavaskar advocating for curators to be left to do their job independently.
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00:00We are joined by former India captain, our in-house cricket analyst in Mr. Sani Gavaskar.
00:05Sani Bhai, what do you make of Gautam Gambhir's assessment?
00:08He said, stop talking about the pitch, 124 runs was chasable on the track.
00:16Totally agree with Gautam Gambhir.
00:19124 was chasable on this pitch, no question about it.
00:23A lot of people are talking about, you know, what the pitch was doing.
00:26But if you had a look at what Simon Harmer was doing, in and over, how many of his deliveries were turning?
00:35He was mixing it really well.
00:37The straight through, straight through, he was getting the odd ball to turn.
00:40So it was not a vicious pitch.
00:43It was a pitch where you had to bat as if you were batting in a five-day test match.
00:48And not as if you were looking to play in a 50-overs or a T20-over.
00:53Where after three-dot balls, you are looking to play a break-out-of-jail shot.
00:59That is a thing.
01:01The batting, 124, yes, it was chasable.
01:04Should have been chased with the kind of batting line-up that India has.
01:08Should have been chased with at least five wickets in hand.
01:11Sime, you say with the kind of batting line-up that India has, they should have been chased.
01:15My question to you is, where was India's Temba Bhavuma then?
01:19You know, someone who got 55 runs.
01:20My mind takes me back to 2006, I was there in Jamaica.
01:24It was a worse pitch, mindful of a pitch.
01:2868-odd, Rahul Dravid got, helped you win that test match.
01:32Where was India's Temba Bhavuma and who can be that?
01:35Well, exactly.
01:36That is the question.
01:37Because the Indian batters had the example of Temba Bhavuma.
01:41Look, you can forget what happened yesterday.
01:43But, you know, when there is somebody who has played an innings of such character, such determination, such patience, such good technique and such good temperament, just a couple of hours before you go into bat, that should be at least at the back of your mind.
01:57So, where is India's Temba Bhavuma?
02:01I don't know whether India has got a Temba Bhavuma.
02:03What has led to this situation there, Sahiba?
02:07I gave you an example of Rahul Dravid.
02:10I know that there was that infamous test match, 97, India failed to chase down 120.
02:15But I know that that pitch was really, you know, not worth batting on.
02:18It was up and down.
02:19Kirtley Ambrose on top of his game.
02:21As you're saying, this pitch really wasn't that.
02:23What has contributed to a situation like this where you can't have a batter who can be grinding it out in the centre?
02:29Because a lot of our players do not play domestic cricket.
02:33If you play domestic cricket, you will get to play on such pitches, right?
02:38Because even at the domestic level, teams are trying to get the points so that they qualify for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy, which means that there will be pitches where the ball will grip and turn a little bit.
02:50But none of our players are playing that.
02:53None of our current players.
02:54How many of our current players actually deign to go down and play Ranji Trophy?
02:58No, they don't.
02:59Because, you know, there's this word called workload.
03:02Workload is the word.
03:04They don't want to play.
03:05They don't want to play.
03:06They only want to play in the Ranji Trophy if they are out of form.
03:09Otherwise, they don't want to play.
03:11So that is the answer.
03:12Maybe you want to look at, you know, preparing a pitch where the ball will grip and turn a little bit.
03:20Then you want to pick guys who are playing domestic cricket.
03:22You do not really want to play guys who are playing international cricket because they don't have the practice against such kind of pitches.
03:30And that said, I really want to also agree with Gautam Gambhir that there was nothing in the pitch.
03:37The pitch, yes.
03:37The odd ball turned.
03:39Fine.
03:39I mean, on day three, you are going to get a pitch where the odd ball is going to turn.
03:44How many deliveries of Maharaj turned?
03:47How many deliveries of Maharaj turned?
03:49How many deliveries of, say, for example, Jadeja, Jadeja or Akshar Patel turned?
03:54We call, a lot of people are calling this a pitch, you know, which, you know, it's a spinning pitch.
04:00Yes, on day two, day three, there will be a little bit of turn.
04:03But it was nothing vicious.
04:05So it is just poor technique and poor temperament which has got us into this situation.
04:10Okay, Sai Bae, stay on with us.
04:11Mr. Gavaska has made his point very clear.
04:13Stop blaming the pitch.
04:14You could have chased these many runs down.
04:16We also caught up with Saurav Ganguly, who you remember is now the president of Cricket Association of Bengal, has been a former India captain.
04:24What are his thoughts on India's pitch strategy?
04:27Why did the pitch really change the last few days?
04:30Why was it not watered?
04:31All those thoughts.
04:32Let's listen in to Saurav Ganguly and then we'll get back to Mr. Gavaska.
04:35The government has said that we are wanting a pitch, but we didn't say that the curator has helped us.
04:45I have instructions for you.
04:47I am very fond of that one.
04:52It's done well for India and India in one day, 20th, 20th, 20th.
04:56We will continue for a while, but we must play on good pitches in India.
05:01We must have faith on Dumra, Shiraz, Shami.
05:05I think Shami deserves the place in this test team.
05:08Shami has been winners to win test matches for their man.
05:13And win test matches in five days, not in three days.
05:15What is lacking in India's team?
05:17What is lacking in India's team?
05:18Let's see, Shuman Gil is a big deal.
05:20But with that, there are many other star batters who have done it well.
05:25Are they going to pitch or are they going to pitch in India or are they going to pitch?
05:29Shuman Gil's vacuum was a lot better.
05:31He was a lot in a top-class match when he comes in fourth and he can't write both in his
05:37and he lost with the 30s.
05:40Pitch is the same for both.
05:42Anand, these pitches tossed to come very quickly.
05:44Sata Futa would have got 250.
05:46That's why I say that he must play on the good pitch.
05:51What do you say?
05:51What do you say?
05:52What do you say?
05:53What do you say?
05:54What do you say?
05:56They go to Guwahati and I expect a good pitch on that.
05:58Put the funds up on the board and bring the heat.
06:01They are a very good side.
06:02And one bad loss does not make them a bad team.
06:06But as our chief said, they must be able to win.
06:08But we have seen that India 4-10 match, Harana makes to next.
06:12This match.
06:13In the last 6th match, 4-10 match Harana.
06:15And we saw that the Indian Lions had 117 chains.
06:18You were captain in 2004.
06:21It was the last match in South Africa.
06:23So, is there a mental problem happening in a mental aspect?
06:28No.
06:29Because Bhavir has said that there is mental toughness.
06:31There is no problem.
06:32Mental toughness in the players.
06:33No, no.
06:34It is completely different.
06:35In England, how did they make it?
06:36No.
06:37No.
06:38No.
06:39No.
06:40No.
06:41No.
06:42No.
06:43No.
06:44No.
06:45No.
06:46Okay, we heard from Saurav Ganguly there saying that yes, on this pitch India should have chased
07:0324 down but also has a different opinion where he says that one advice if I could give this Indian
07:09team I'd say play on good pitches and he goes on to say that he and the curator was asked to prepare
07:14a pitch like this his advice is play on good flat patting pitches and this Indian team is good
07:20enough to go ahead and win test matches my question to you Saiwai fine as you say this was a pitch
07:26where India should have chased it down my point is we've just had a series lost to New Zealand on
07:31similar pitches so the evidence suggests that maybe our batters are not really capable because
07:36of various reasons that some those that you've pointed out as well are not capable of getting
07:41runs on these pitches you've done well on flat pitches England came here in 24 you gave them
07:45good pitches you won that series you went to England good pitches you drew that series even
07:50though you were underdog doesn't that evidence then suggest then go ahead and have good batting
07:55pitches which allow three days of outstanding batting and then you get a bit of turn doesn't
07:59that suit Indian team more than this strategy where they've asked for a pitch that begins to turn
08:05from day two onwards I don't know what what exactly what the the pitch was asked for from what I what
08:12I read the the coach in his press uh uh interaction say that they they got the exact pitch that they
08:19wanted now I don't think that anybody is going to ask for a pitch where the ball is going to start
08:24spinning and jumping from day one yes I think some some gradual turn after all this this is India
08:31and you will hardly ever get a pitch like you know maybe what we got way way back in the late 1970s
08:38hard bouncy pitches Chennai for example in 1978 against the West Indies
08:43we're going to publish when I got an absolutely unbelievable hundred so it's the fastest pitch
08:48that I have played on ever I mean I played at Perth Jamaica Barbados you name it you know the oval in
08:55England uh and even the pitches in Australia but no pitch was as quick as the Chennai pitch so you want
09:01to make a pitch where it's it's an even balance and that said you know it's very very difficult very
09:08difficult for any curator to get the exact balance right so you really you know want to leave the
09:16curator alone and and and let him make a make a pitch which he knows will last four and a half to five
09:23days that is the one that you want and I think that would be the way to go that uh as you said curator
09:30really wasn't left alone he was asked to prepare a pitch like this and that then takes me uh back to the
09:35question uh that you know we've seen on the evidence that we've seen good batting pitches
09:40always giving you good results turning tracks really not working in your favor and why is there
09:45a discrepancy there when West Indies for example comes then you we have good batting pitches you
09:52know Bangladesh will come we'll have good batting pitches Sri Lanka will come we'll have good batting
09:56pitches as soon as England or Australia or South Africa come we end up with these sort of pitches
10:02what do you think is the right way forward we heard from Ganguly saying have good batting pitches
10:06for every team well you know what happens at the IPL no no IPL franchise can can influence the curator
10:15to prepare any kind of the curator is left absolutely alone he can prepare a pitch and he might if he wants
10:21to uh if he's a die-hard fan of the franchise you know which is the home franchise he might prepare a
10:27pitch which might suit the the franchise's strength but uh that that said i think it's always best to
10:36leave the the the the curator alone because he knows his job better than anybody else you ask him to
10:43mix it up you know add another cocktail that can actually backfire and you know so that is what
10:49you don't do not want to do i mean on the subject of these pitches overall uh forget what the result
10:56is and what india needs to do going forward don't you think these pitches where test matches end in
11:01two and a half days uh hamper test cricket in general now that's the format that's struggling for
11:07survival we saw a good crowd turn out at the eden gardens i'm sure they expected a five-day test match
11:13yes everybody wants a five-day test match because that is what you know the format of the game is
11:18but let's not just blame you know the indian pitches because you know you've had pitches in
11:23australia when india went there you've had pitches where 15 wickets have fallen 17 wickets have fallen
11:29in a day nobody has said anything nobody said anything we always tend to make a big deal about
11:34you know pitches where you know you have 14 15 wickets falling in a day but you want a good test
11:40match which is a good balance between bat and ball and uh over the last maybe several years we
11:48actually haven't had a pitches where you know there's a good balance between a bat and ball
11:55uh looking back at that test match i know uh what if is in the realm of you know fantasy but do you
12:01think the fact that india effectively played with 10 players versus 11 i don't know you know it's not
12:08anything uh fault of the south african team that shumangil gets injured but the margin is so close just
12:1330 runs you've played with all one of your premier batter in both the innings because of an injury had
12:19he been playing a different result yes could very well have been a different result because look he's
12:26a wonderful batter and not only is a easy a wonderful battle you know when it gets going the batter at the
12:32other end gets confidence and that is that is the hallmark of you know great players is that they make
12:38batting easy for their partners as well they take the load sometimes they take you know the better
12:43bowlers play the better bowlers show them how to play the better bowlers and i think gill's presence
12:49would have been the difference but that said again like you said there's no place for ifs and buts
12:55that's just unfortunate that about his injury hopefully he'll be all right pretty quickly and
13:00will be there to lead the indian team's revival in guhati okay we'll leave it at that mr gavaskar thank you
13:06so much for joining us the latest update on shubhman gill is that he will be traveling
13:12to guhati but we don't know whether he'll be playing the game or not
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