Ajinkya Rahane speaks out against challenging pitches, questioning the preparation of Indian batters for spin conditions

Ajinkya Rahane have criticised the Indian team management for selecting spin-friendly pitches in home Tests, highlighting that Indian batters lack preparation for such conditions due to the absence of turning wickets in domestic cricket.

Rahane disagreed with Gautam Gambhir’s criticism of India’s loss to South Africa in the first Test in Kolkata, stating it was unfair to blame the batters when the Eden Gardens pitch was challenging for both teams. India lost by 30 runs, failing to chase 124 in the final innings. The pitch made batting difficult, with neither side surpassing 200 runs in a Test that ended in less than two-and-a-half days. While Gambhir defended the pitch, critics pointed out its extreme nature, but he still expected the batters to chase down the target.

During his appearance on R. Ashwin’s YouTube show, Rahane highlighted that Indian batters are not adequately prepared for turning tracks because domestic pitches have largely become either flat or more favorable to pacers.

“In Test matches, we create pitches that turn. But if you have quality spinners, it’s possible to make turning wickets. However, it’s important to know when they should start turning. If you want wickets that turn from Day 1, then domestic cricket pitches should be similar,” Rahane stated.

“Players need to experience similar conditions in domestic cricket if they’re going to play on turning wickets in Test matches. Generally, domestic pitches are flat or favor seamers, with very few offering extreme turn. Some red-soil pitches do assist turn, but that usually happens from Day 3 onwards, while the first two days are good for batting,” he added.

“Moreover, when playing on spin-friendly pitches, you have to prepare differently. I don’t think we can blame the players for this. They haven’t played on such wickets, and even in practice, they don’t train on these types of pitches,” he concluded.