Former West Indies Captain Vivian Richards gave his opinion on the Motera pitch following the third Test match between India and England. He urged people from all around the world to stop complaining about the nature of the pitch and said that playing in India was all about beating and tackling spin which the English players were aware of.
The Motera pitch has been heavily criticized for its turn, specifically after how England succumbed to 112 and 81 in their two innings as India beat them in less than two days. While several former players and analysts disapproved of the Motera pitch claiming that it was unfit for Test matches, Sir Viv Richards spoke out in support of the pitch.
"I've been asked questions recently about the Test match that was played in India… the second and third Test match against England. And I am a little confused about the question really because there seems to be a lot of moaning and groaning about the wicket that they were playing on. I just felt that the ones who are moaning, in my opinion, should realise that there are times that you're going to get a seaming track, a ball that is basically jumping off a good length and everyone thinks that's a problem for batters. There are times batters sometimes cope with that," Richards said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
"But now you've seen the other side, and this is why I think it was given the name Test match cricket, because of the test of the mind and will and everything else that goes with it when you're competing. And the complaints have been that the wicket is spinning too much and all that sorts of stuff. This is another side of the coin guys. People seem to forget that if you're going to India, you should expect that. You are going to spin land. You should basically prepare yourself to know what you're going to encounter."
Richards claimed that the buzz around the Motera Pitch is because India pushed England out of their ‘comfort zone’ post India’s embarrassing defeat in the first Test. He further prompts India to use similar pitches for the fourth test and said it is entirely upon England to come up with a solution to tackle the conditions offered by the pitches.
"Rather than the moaning and groaning, especially just recently how quickly that Test match was over. It gives England an opportunity and a chance to assess things, to believe that for some reason the wicket that they're going to encounter in the fourth Test is going to be the same. If I was India or I had anything to do with the preparations of the wicket, I would bring in very much the same," Richards said.
"Ever since that first Test match, England were in their comfort zone. They have now been taken out of their comfort zone at present and they have got to find ways and means to cope with what they are going to encounter. Spin in all part of the game, this is what a Test match brings. The Indian pacers have been brilliant over the past few years in terms of substance, the wicket-taking ability and stuff like that. But now that you're in India, you are going to encounter things and have got to find a way. You're going to get dirty. There is nothing in the rule book that says I’ve got to score my runs in pretty, classical ways.
I just believe all the moaning and groaning has got to stop and just not see the classical side of things in terms of Indian armoury. And from where I'm sitting, it's good to see."
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