After a remarkable comeback by Ben Stokes and Co. in the IND vs ENG 1st Test, two former greats of the game, Sunil Gavaskar and Kevin Pietersen, got into a heated debate about how to tackle spin in India.
While commentating during India’s second inning, Pietersen talked about how youngsters (Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett) are using sweeps and reserve sweeps as though they are traditional shots, and invertedly criticizing India for not putting pressure back on England, Pietersen said:
“When you look at the shortest format of the game, there are youngsters who are growing up sweeping and reverse-sweeping. 10-15 years ago, batters didn’t play that way. But look at Ben Duckett for example, he’s grown up playing that way. He’s so comfortable playing that shot.”
“Gone are the days when it was a wonderful shot. These guys are playing it so easily. Traditional cricket, I don’t think it works against spinners in India.”
However, Sunil Gavaskar wasn’t having any of it. Disagreeing with Pietersen, the former Indian opener talks about how one also needs traditional methods to succeed in India.
“It can work if you use your feet. We haven’t seen batters use their feet. You need to get as close to the ball as possible. How many batters have we seen who actually went down the pitch? What you said is absolutely right, you got to play the unorthodox shots as well. But you also got to play the orthodox shots, by using your feet.”
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