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The second Test match between India and South Africa lasted less than two days as the Rohit Sharma-led side emerged victorious in the second session of Day 2. Following the match, the Newlands pitch came under the scanner as both experts and fans criticised it for the short duration of the match. However, legendary South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn had a different opinion as he said that pitches deteriorate over time and that cannot be blamed for a match getting over in under two days. He even went on to say that a ‘Two day Test’ is not a Test match at all.
“Why we so scared of cracks? Think Sydney, Perth. Cracks so wide you can park a car inside them, and yet they always get to days 4 and 5! Pointless a test being over so fast you don’t even see a hint of a crack. Pitches deteriorate over the days, let it happen. Two day tests are not Test matches,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Steyn was answering to a fan’s observation about the Newlands pitch.
Meanwhile, Ravichandran Ashwin hit back at former England skipper Michael Vaughan‘s remark that India are ‘underachievers’ and stated that the team has been one of the best travelling sides in Test cricket.
Why we so scared of cracks?
Think Sydney, Perth. Cracks so wide you can park a car inside them, and yet they always get to days 4 and 5! Pointless a test being over so fast you don’t even see a hint of a crack.
Pitches deteriorate over the days, let it happen. Two day tests are…— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) January 4, 2024
Recently, Vaughan termed the Indian men’s cricket team “one of the most underachieving teams in the world” for not being able to win big despite a massive amount of resources and talent. Vaughan made this point on the FOX Cricket panel during the Australia-Pakistan second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
“Here’s a question for you: India, in terms of cricket, are they one of the most underachieving sports teams in the world?” Vaughan said.
“With all the talent that they have, I think they are, yeah. Well, they do not win anything. When was the last time they won something? With all the talent they have, all the skillsets… they won here (Australia) twice, magnificent but the last few World Cups, been nowhere, T20 World Cups, nowhere. You go to South Africa, who are, you know, useful in Test match cricket and to produce a performance like that… I mean, with all the talent they have, and the resources they have, I do not think they win anything,” he added.
To this, Ashwin hit back, saying on his YouTube channel that though India has failed to capture ICC trophies, its Test team is one of the best travelling sides.
“Michael Vaughan made a statement after the first Test that India is an underachieving team. Yes, we haven’t won ICC trophies for years. We call ourselves the powerhouses of the game. But the Test team has been one of the best travelling teams in the vicinity. We have seen many great results,” he said.
“After he said that, so many experts from our own country started questioning if India is an underachieving team. Frankly, it made me laugh,” he added.
(With ANI inputs)
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