Team India suffered a crushing defeat in the Test series, and even before that wound healed, KL Rahul and his men are set to play the ODI series against South Africa. Ahead of the contest, Kapil Dev has made explosive remarks. According to him, excessive white-ball cricket is damaging India’s Test performance.
Speaking to an Indian media outlet, the World Cup–winning captain said, “Have you ever seen Indian batters fail this badly before? No, you haven’t. They once had a distinct style of playing Test cricket. Their footwork was excellent because they played domestic cricket seriously on different types of pitches. How many current players actually play domestic cricket?”
He added, “To succeed in red-ball cricket, you must play domestic matches first. This format demands facing a wide variety of bowlers. If you can’t handle them, how will you succeed internationally? Batters no longer play on bowling-friendly pitches. They are so busy with ODIs and T20s that they can’t stay at the crease for long. To tackle good spinners or pacers, you need patience something today’s batters lack.”
South Africa defeated India in just two and a half days at Eden Gardens, bowling India out for 93 while chasing 124. Pitch discussions have not stopped since.
Kapil said, “Pitches are always crucial in cricket. There’s no point playing on a pitch where the match ends in two days. What’s the sense in matches on wickets where teams can’t score even 200? Losing the toss here means losing the match. Playing on such pitches is meaningless.”
