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The second Test match between India and Sri Lanka was played at the Chinnaswamy stadium, in Bengaluru and the match ended inside three days as the hosts secured a convincing 238-run victory in that Test match. Later, the Bengaluru pitch had to face severe criticism and to make matters worse the Bengaluru pitch also received a ‘below-average’ rating from ICC.
Gavaskar reacts
Former India batsman Sunil Gavaskar has recently opened up on the matter and he feels that after Indian Test team’s defeat in South Africa “it is understandable” that the Indian team “did not want to take any chances and prepared pitches that suited their strength.”
"India cleaned up yet another series win with another three-day finish to move up the points table for the World Test Championship. Their next few Test matches are likely to be away from home and after what happened in South Africa it is understandable that they did not want to take any chances and prepared pitches that suited their strength,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
“What that does do however is that the batsmen, who the crowds come to watch, are also troubled by the opposition bowlers and unable to get the big scores that their millions of followers want to see.”
Luck is needed
According to Gavaskar, on challenging pitches “a batsman needs not only technique and temperament, but a huge dose of luck too.”
"On pitches which are challenging, a batsman needs not only technique and temperament, but a huge dose of luck too. The other approach is to bat in the limited overs method, where the batsman regularly takes a chance trusting his power and timing to hit the ball into the stands or the open spaces. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer did that with aplomb and in the process showed that with a bit of daring and some luck, runs could be scored," the former India captain further added.
In the latest Test series between India and Sri Lanka, the Rohit Sharma-led Indian Test team secured a thumping 2-0 win. In the first Test match, played in Mohali, the Indian team clinched a win by an innings and 222 runs. In the second Test match, the visitors had to suffer a 238-run defeat.
