IND vs NZ: "If Quinton de Kock Sees This Pitch, He Might Not Come To Play IPL" - Gautam Gambhir Takes A Dig At Lucknow Pitch

Former India opener Gautam Gambhir has criticised the spin-friendly pitch used in the second T20I against New Zealand at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The Men in Blue defeated the Black Caps by six wickets on Sunday, January 29, to level the three-match series at 1-1.

The pitch used in the match was like a graveyard for the batters, as the ball took a lot of turns. The New Zealand batsmen struggled to time the ball, and they managed 99 for eight in the allotted 20 overs. The Indian batters also found it difficult to play against the Kiwi spinners, and took 19.5 overs to chase down the 100-run target.

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He Might Not Come To Play IPL – Gautam Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir, part of the Star Sports Hindi commentary panel in the second innings, said that if the South African wicketkeeper-batsman sees this wicket, the South African wicketkeeper-batsman might not come to India to play in IPL 2023.

“If Quinton de Kock sees this pitch, (it is possible that) he might not come to play IPL,” Gautam Gambhir said.

Gambhir is the mentor of the Lucknow Supergiants, while De Kock is a key member of their team. LSG’s home ground in the IPL 2023 will be the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.

Mohammad Kaif, who was also a part of the Hindi commentary panel, responded to Gambhir’s comment and said that De Kock will play in the IPL. “No, no he will come to play. He will come to play IPL,” Kaif said.

Veteran leg-spinner Amit Mishra could play a crucial role for the Supergiants along with young spinner Ravi Bishnoi. LSG has decided to bid for Mishra, the third-leading wicket-taker in IPL history, for the 2023 season, and playing with two spinners can be successful on this surface.

India will take on New Zealand in the third and final T20I of the series at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Wednesday, February 1. Both teams will hope to win this match to clinch the series.

Also read: IND vs AUS: “Shaheen Afridi Is Way Better Than Jasprit Bumrah” – Abdul Razzaq Says The Indian Pacer Is Nowhere Close To Shaheen’s Level

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