As India and Australia gear up for the final battle at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, starting on March 9, Australian assistant coach Daniel Vettori shared his views on the role of pitches on the outcome of the three Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Team India stunned Australia in the first two Tests to take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series before Australia made a stunning comeback in the series with a nine-wicket win in the third Test in Indore last week. The spinners played a key role in the first three Tests, with all games ending inside three days, and there could be another turning track for the final Test in Ahmedabad.
Ahead of the fourth test, Vettori said that he does not mind the spin-friendly pitches on offer in India as it has challenged the batters and brought their skill and perseverance into play.
As reported by Reuters, Daniel Vettori stated: “I don’t mind the surfaces because I feel it’s the same for everyone. It doesn’t feel like the toss is the key ingredient… you almost know what to expect. You turn up and you can see that it’s going to be this type of wicket and you can prepare for it.”
He continued, “I think that allows some skill to come into it, some perseverance and some fortitude around the things that you have to do. The batting group, hearing them talk, has started to bind to that as well. A score of 30 could be a great day. It’s how you get that 30 that makes such a difference. The challenge is in accepting it more than anything. That’s easier said than done.”
Australia’s assistant coach further lauded the newcomers like Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy, who have really supported Nathan Lyon so far in the Test series against India.
Vettori signed off by saying, “That’s the main challenge on these surfaces. The expectation is so high that you’re going to do well and you are going to take a wicket every ball. I think the guys who do it consistently, there are quite a number of them on show in this series from both teams… they don’t wilt to the pressure. They understand their process and they repeat, repeat and repeat.”
(With Reuters Inputs)
