Sunil Gavaskar, Kevin Pietersen argue over spinning Hyderabad pitch in IND vs ENG 1st Test

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar and former England captain Kevin Pietersen argued in the commentary box over too much spin during the IND vs ENG 1st Test at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. Sunil Gavaskar and Kevin Pietersen are commentators in the ongoing India vs England 1st Test.

While Kevin Pietersen felt that the ball should not spin too much on the first day itself, Sunil Gavaskar told him that one should expect the ball to spin from Day 1 while playing Tests in India. Both had a little bit of argument before setting down the debate with a peal of laughter.

Spinners has got a lot of limelight during India vs England 1st Test in Hyderabad. Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin hunted 3 wickets each in 1st innings. Axar Patel also got 2 wickets. Similarly, England spinner Joe Root grabbed 4 scalps while Tom Hartley and Rehan Ahmed grabbed 2 wickets each. Jack Leach got 1 wicket in 1st innings.

Also Read: Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin don’t let batters breathe, says Anil Kumble

Sunil Gavaskar And Kevin Pietersen Argue In Commentary Box Over Hyderabad Wicket

During the commentary in India vs England 1st Test, Sunil Gavaskar and Kevin Pietersen argued over the Hyderabad wicket. Kevin Pietersen felt that the wicket should not spin too much on Day 1.

Sunil Gavaskar came up with a counter reply that England’s batters used poor techniques. He also said that Indian stadiums can witness spin from Day 1 itself. Have a look at the complete conversation below.

Kevin Pietersen: “Look at the way Jadeja’s first two deliveries turned. That’s Day 1 of a Test match. The ball shouldn’t be turning that much”.

Sunil Gavaskar: “It’s not as if the ball was spinning and bouncing, look at the dismissals. Crawly caught at mid-on, Root out sweeping. All the other batters… the technique was not good”.

“It wasn’t turning and bouncing that much. When you play Test cricket and are coming to India, you have to expect the ball to turn from Day 1. You can’t expect the ball to go straight through”.

Kevin Pietersen: “Of course, it is expected to spin. The difference between the two teams has been the amount of spin the spinners from the two sides have got”.

Also Read: Watch: Axar Patel rattles Ben Foakes’ stumps with low delivery

Meanwhile, England finished with 316-6 in 2nd innings of India vs England 1st Test at the stumps of Day 3. Earlier, India piled up 436-10 in 1st innings. England trailed by 190 runs. Ollie Pope shattered a stunning ton in 2nd innings to drive England to a dominating position.

Also Read: “Any batter would’ve…” – Dinesh Karthik hails Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling between lunch and tea in 1st Test

Ben Stokes slammed a half-century in 1st innings. For India, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul smacked fifties in 1st innings. Hence, the Hyderabad wicket has helped batters as well. Earlier, Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat first.