IND vs WI: Will slow Kotla track force tactical shift in upcoming home Tests? | Cricket News
New Delhi: Could India have done things differently on the field and with the ball on a pancake-flat Kotla surface on Monday? And will there be a subsequent attempt to return to the rank turners of the past when South Africa visit next month? These were the primary questions facing the team management after a resilient West Indies stretched the second Test to Day Five. As Ravindra Jadeja had said on Day Three, perhaps India were not expecting the pitch to hold so firm, likely leading to some tactical errors early on Monday, which they subsequently rectified. On such a slow surface, with the ball often keeping low, it was imperative to pull back lengths and force the batsmen onto the backfoot, or make them play square of the wicket on either side. When they eventually did so, the bowlers found wickets in clumps. In the morning session, with the ball reversing slightly, India were perhaps guilty of being a bit defensive with their fields when Jasprit Bumrah bowled. There was no slip for Bumrah; instead, an extra cover was in place. Maybe India also missed a trick by not bowling short to either Shai Hope or Roston Chase. Post-lunch, however, with the new ball, the Indian pacers changed the template and used the bouncer more frequently, while continuing to surprise with fuller deliveries. As for the lead spinners, while Jadeja changed angles, came around the wicket with a slip and backward short leg in place, and attacked the stumps, Kuldeep (8/186 off 55.5 overs) also pulled his length back and immediately induced false strokes. Drift and dip were the left-arm wrist-spinner’s allies in neutralising the pitch. “We did a few different things depending on the batters,” allrounder Washington Sundar said. “For some, we tried to bowl wider and hit the rough. For others, we tried to be straight and bring the stumps into play. We were really patient. The England series taught us what it feels like to be on the field for five days.” Although the Kotla is unique in its bland nature, the Ahmedabad pitch in the first Test was also a departure from the norm. If India continue to persist with such wickets, skipper Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir may have a tactical rethink on home Tests. West Indies’ effort evoked memories of other batting marathons at the Kotla, notably the December 2015 fourth Test against South Africa, when, set an unlikely 481 to win, AB de Villiers batted 297 balls for his 43 and Hashim Amla 244 balls for his 25. They stretched India for 525 minutes and 143.1 overs before folding for 143. With South Africa due to visit next month, will the pitches in Kolkata and Guwahati offer early turn? “This is a typical Delhi wicket, where there is not much bounce and obviously, there wasn’t a lot of turn on offer,” Washington said. “But yeah, different venues play out differently and that’s the beauty of this format. We play in a lot of different conditions.”
