Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir criticized the Delhi wicket for the second Test against the West Indies for its lack of assistance for pacers. The hosts toiled hard to pick up the 20 West Indian wickets to complete a seven-wicket victory on the final day.
The pace-bowling spearheads, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, picked up seven wickets between them in 56 overs. The Indian bowlers struggled for penetration in the West Indies' second innings after enforcing the follow-on with a 270-run first-innings lead.
The visitors scored 390 in 118.5 overs with the Delhi wicket showing no signs of deterioration.
Talking about the playing surface in Delhi in the press conference after the second Test, Gambhir said (via RevSportz X handle):
"We could have had a better wicket here. There has to be something for the fast bowlers as well. You need them to be in the game, there wasn’t any carry in the wickets, to keep Test cricket alive we need good wickets."India won the series opener in Ahmedabad in double quick time, inside three days by an innings and 140 runs. Despite the occasional struggles with the ball in the Delhi Test, the hosts completed a comfortable 2-0 series win.
"Depends on the captain and the conditions on how many overs he bowls" - Gautam Gambhir on Nitish Kumar Reddy
Gautam Gambhir asserted that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy's usage with the ball hinges on the conditions on offer and the captain's decision at that moment. The 22-year-old did not bowl a single delivery in either innings despite India sending down more than 200 overs in the match.
"Its important for a young player to play in home conditions as well. It is important to groom Nitish Kumar Reddy, not many seam bowling allrounders there. It depends on the captain and the conditions on how many overs he bowls," said Gambhir (via the aforementioned source).However, Nitish was promoted up the batting order in India's first innings, and the right-hander showed glimpses of his ability with a quickfire 54-ball 43. The youngster was underutilized even in the first Test as he did not bat in India's lone innings and bowled only four overs across the two innings.
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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran