‘Lot of moaning and groaning over pitch’
Ex-Windies captain Richards throws support behind spin-friendly wicket
Former West Indies captain and batting legend Vivian Richards threw his support behind the spin-friendly conditions that were on offer during the second and third Tests between India and England in Chennai and Ahmedabad.
A number of former cricketers from both India and England said that the pitch was not suitable for Test cricket. Only two out of the 30 wickets that fell during the match went to fast bowlers.
“I’ve been asked questions recently about the Test match that was played in India the second and third Test match against England. And I am a little confused about the question really because there seems to be a lot of moaning and groaning about the wicket that they were playing on,” said Richards in a video posted on his Facebook page.
Richards said that playing on
spin-friendly conditions is only the “other side” of Test cricket.
“I just felt that the ones who are moaning, in my opinion, should realise that there are times that you’re going to get a seaming track, a ball that is basically jumping off a good length and everyone thinks that’s a problem for batters. There are times batters sometimes cope with that,” Richards said.
“But now you’ve seen the other side, and this is why I think it was given the name Test match cricket, because of the test of the mind and will and everything else that goes with it when you’re competing.
“And the complaints have been that the wicket is spinning too much and all that sorts of stuff. This is another side of the coin guys. People seem to forget that if you’re going to India, you should expect that. You are going to spin land.”