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India got docked one more World Test Championship (WTC) point due to slow over-rate in historic Test win in Centurion. While India have most points among teams in current WTC cycle, they have lost three points due to slow over-rate which may turn out to be crucial towards the end. Indian head coach Rahul Dravid in the pre-match press conference addressed these issues and explained why International Cricket Council (ICC) has resorted to such measures.
“Rules are the same for everyone. It's hard, we're playing four seamers. It's an area we need to get better at. Disappointing to lose points. Would be disappointing to miss out because of that. Not a problem in India need to look at it overseas. ICC are trying various things. They've tried fines, which doesn't seem to work. They're trying hard, too. Difficult to predict sometime where we lose time, like injuries, wicket change etc. We need to get better at managing time,” Dravid told the media.
India went with four seamers and one spinner in the Centurion Test. With the Centurion wicket being more pacer-friendly, skipper Virat Kohli had to give more overs to the fast bowlers which resulted in them losing a point.
Apart from India, Joe Root-led England have been docked a total of 10 points during this period including eight points in a single game. As a result, the struggling English side have six points from six games and need a miraculous comeback to finish in top two in the ongoing WTC cycle. On the other hand, India have 53 points with four wins from seven matches.
Last year, Australia missed out on the final berth due to penalty points. They were behind Kane Williamson-led New Zealand by just 0.8 winning percentage.
India are likely to go with four seamers once again in the second Test of the three-Test series at Wanderers stadium, Johannesburg. It will be interesting to see how Kohli manages over-rate with seamers operating in the middle for a better part of the innings.
