Gavaskar lauds England spinners for success at Wankhede
Indian bowlers bowled short while the England spinners have managed to force the opposition to come forward which has resulted in their success in the second Test.
- NDTVSports
- Updated: November 25, 2012 06:21 PM IST
Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar on Sunday credited England bowlers for bowling well on the Wankhede track and said that their Indian counterparts failed to replicate the same.
India floundered in the second innings of the second Test against England, losing seven wickets for 117 and ending the day with a lead of just 31.
Speaking to NDTV, Gavaskar said that it was not all about lack of application from Indian batsmen but good bowling from the Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann as well. "I said on the eve of the Test that having turning pitches can backfire. India is in serious trouble now. I do not think it is about lack of application from the Indian batsmen but more about the way Panesar bowled. He managed to bowl straight on a turning track and mixed it up well. Swann at the other end was tossing it up. They made the Indians come forward," he said. Panesar took five wickets on Sunday while Swann claimed the other two.
A day earlier, Gavaskar had told NDTV that he felt the Indians could have bowled better. On Sunday, he mentioned the same observation once again, adding that Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen batted extremely well too. "I have been saying from day 1 that you have to get the batsman to come forward. You do need a bit of luck of course but the batsmen have to be made to come out. That said, I thought application of Cook and belligerence of Pietersen also put pressure on the Indians," he said.
While Cook hit 122, it was Pietersen's knock of 186 that helped the visitors take a 86-run lead. When asked why the Indian batsmen were unable to replicate Cook and Pietersen, Gavaskar said he felt one of the reasons could be the batting-friendly tracks in the sub-continent that can fail to challenge Indian batsmen from their domestic years. "If you are honest, you will find Indian batsmen have been brought up on good batting pitches. Only few can adjust and make a difference. Our pitches in India are heavily loaded in favour of batsmen. It is something you cannot blame Indian batsmen since they play domestic cricket on such pitches."