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Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh voiced out his displeasure with the pitch used for the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata, saying that a "mockery" has been made out of Test cricket and how It is not even about the ability anymore, pointing out that even greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli would have struggled on such surfaces.
After India was skittled out for 189 in reply to the Proteas' first innings total of 159, the Proteas looked helpless against spin, particularly Ravindra Jadeja's turn and sank to 93/7 with a lead of barely 63 runs, pretty much deciding the Test in favour of India by the end of day two. "Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said, "I was so happy that people had gathered there to watch Test cricket. But the way the pitch behaved, South Africa won the toss and were all out for 159. After that, I expected India to play better, but India also did not bat that well. India was all out for 189. A 30-run lead looked like a 300-run lead in the match, and now South Africa is with them at 93. It has been two days, and in two days, the result looks clear, which way the game is going. Rest in Peace, Test cricket." Harbhajan also pointed out how fans and the cricketing fraternity as a whole lauded both India and England for their performances in a 2-2 draw in the UK, where all five Tests ended on day five, and the pitches provided both batters and bowlers with an equal share of advantage. "Recently, India played Test cricket in England. They both played brilliantly. Everyone lauded them. The kind of pitches they played on and the way they fought and won matches there, it shows how good Test cricket is. This is Test cricket. But here, the pitch is so terrible that no matter where you bowl, the batter does not know about its spin and does not know what to do. No matter how good your technique is, whether it is the great Tendulkar or Virat, I do not think they would have survived on such a surface because one delivery would fly out of nowhere, while the other would stay low and spin. So, it is not about ability anymore. It is just the pitch that is working. And this has been happening recently for years. We had never seen such conditions before. In my view, it is not going right; it is pathetic and utter nonsense. A mockery has been made out of Test cricket," he added. If India wins, they take a 1-0 lead in the series. (ANI)
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