"We don't ask for rank turners" - Rahul Dravid takes dig at Indian pitch curators

While speaking at the press conference after the second IND vs ENG Test match, Indian head coach Rahul Dravid was asked about what would be his mindset, if he saw more Vizag-type pitches in the rest three games. Dravid stated that he is completely clueless in this matter and he never asked the curators to prepare the surface as per the wish of the team management at home.

It was a brilliant comeback for India in the five-match Test series against England. The hosts were able to win the 2nd Test by 106 runs after they dismantled England for 292 runs in their second innings on Day 4 in Vizag. The pitch was an all-in-one surface as it had help for batsmen, pacers, and the spinners. Also, while there were chances that the BCCI might prepare more turning pitches as always, but the current behavior of the pitches from both games might have shocked the visitors.

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid while speaking at the post-match press conference revealed that the team management never asked the groundsmen to prepare rank turners at home. It is the curators who make the pitches and the tracks in India will spin, but it is hard to judge that. Dravid stated that he is not an expert on the pitch.

Rahul Dravid on his preference for pitches in India

Rahul Dravid said, “Curators make the pitches. We don’t ask for rank turners. Obviously tracks in India would spin, how much they’ll spin, how less they’ll spin, how much. I’m not an expert, obviously, wickets in India in the course of four or five days, they do turn but how much they’re going to turn.”

Rahul Dravid further stated that he is been told that the pitch will turn on the second day whereas, there have been times when he has been told that the pitch will turn from the first day itself.

Rahul Dravid said, “I sometimes get told they’ll turn on the third day, but they turn on the first day. Sometimes I get told they’ll turn on the second day and they don’t turn till day four. So I’m sometimes as clueless as anybody else. We look at the wicket and we try and do the best we can on what we get. We go to Rajkot, we’ll see what we can get and play with whatever we get in front of.”

Getting back to the match, the Indian cricket team showcased a brilliant performance on Day 4 of the second Test match. Jasprit Bumrah was once again the star of the show with the ball and picked up 9 wickets in the match. Bumrah picked up the six wickets in the first innings followed by 3 in the second.

Indian batsmen Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill were also the matter to shine for India due to their innings of 209 and 104 respectively. However, even though the Indian team won the second Test match, things are not perfect there. The middle and lower order are areas where the Indian team is weak. A significant contributing factor to the batsmen’s inability to reach their maximum run-scoring potential is the absence of KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.

Shreyas Iyer’s form is also a problem for the team; if he is left out of the squad for the third Test, Sarfaraz Khan may take his position if either KL Rahul or Virat Kohli is unable to play the remaining three Test matches.