NEW DELHI: Ahead of the third and final Test against New Zealand, India’s assistant coach Abhishek Nayar expressed his desire for the team to curate pitches that favour their strengths, but acknowledged the reality of the situation, insisting that they do not ask for tailor-made pitches in Tests.
Nayar emphasised the importance of focusing on the players’ skillsets and strategies to succeed, regardless of the pitch conditions. His comments reflect the team’s commitment to resilience and adaptability as they aim to bounce back from previous setbacks in the series.
India face New Zealand in the final Test starting Friday in Mumbai, seeking redemption after experiencing their first home Test series defeat in 12 years.
The Pune Test resulted in India’s defeat by 113 runs on a spin-friendly surface. Speculation suggests that the Wankhede Stadium pitch might also provide assistance to spin bowlers.
Nayar dismissed claims that spin-friendly pitches are being prepared based on the team’s requests.
“I wish we could curate pitches, but we don’t. The curators do. Whatever we’re provided with, we go on and play (whether) that’d be a pitch that seamed or a pitch that turned. We don’t try to get conditions according to what we want,” Nayar said ahead of the final Test.
While discussing the batting abilities of current Indian cricketers, Nayar defended them against comparisons with previous generations. He stated it would be “harsh” to claim that today’s Indian batsmen are less proficient against spin bowling compared to their predecessors.
“That’s a bit of a harsh statement. When you’re trying to achieve something, there’s always going to be a time when you take a certain dip because you’re trying to play cricket in a different way and you’re trying to push yourself out of the comfort zone,” he said.
“Sometimes the results don’t go your way, but if you’re patient enough and when that upward curve hits the team and hits an individual, then your purple patch lasts for a really long time.
“We’re hoping that the transition that we’re trying to have in terms of the mindset and the approach of the players in Team India, (given) that we’re facing this dip now, but once we start hitting the upward curve, it’ll be a long curve.”
