IND vs SA LIVE: The pitch that was on offer for the first T20I between India and South Africa at Trivandrum on Wednesday came under severe scrutiny from both the fans, commentators and cricketers. Keeping in mind the T20 World Cup at Australia, the pitch curators at the Greenfield Stadium – staying true to the name – offered a pitch with a green top. However batsman from both the sides struggled big time against the bowlers, especially pacers that has drawn the ire of the fans on social media. Follow IND vs SA LIVE updates on InsideSport.IN
IND vs SA LIVE: Fans lash out at KCA and BCCI for Green TOP to prepare for T20 World Cup, batters STRUGGLE big time at Greenfield stadium, Check OUT
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, the green top aided pacers Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep as they swung the ball effectively to reduce the visitors to 9/5 within three overs. South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj then scored a valiant 41 to help his team score 108/8 after 20 overs.
Indian’s batters too however struggled on the pitch against the Proteas pacers as Rohit Sharma was dismissed for a duck in the third over of the innings. Kohli and Rahul then struggled against the pace bowling duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje as only 17 runs were scored in the powerplay, which is India’s lowest score in powerplay.
“This is not the ideal T20 pitch by any stretch of imagination,” said Ravi Shastri on air during his commentary for the match. Fans also took to Twitter to slam the Kerala Cricket Association and BCCI for preparing this kind of a pitch that is not suited for T20 Internationals. India’s Test cricketer Hanuma Vihari compared the green top at Trivandrum with that of Johannesburg and tweeted “Trivandrum or jo’berg?
Trivandrum or jo’berg?
— Hanuma vihari (@Hanumavihari) September 28, 2022
Fans too pointed out that the pitch that was prepared at Thiruvananthapuram for this T20 International was in fact an ideal for Test matches at home.
Why india can’t produce pitches like this when they playing test at home..test in india is getting boring with those square turning tracks.pitches in the last series against Australia were remarkable too.. #INDvsSA #indiancricket @vikrantgupta73 @bhogleharsha @BCCI @IrfanPathan
— Fahad 🇿🇦 (@fahad_saiyed123) September 28, 2022
A test match pitch is being used today for the T20 match between India and South Africa…@BCCI
— Dr Som Parkash Verma (@DrSomParkashVe1) September 28, 2022
South Africa also deployed three slip fielders during the early part of their innings which was unusual in a T20I at India. Fans too pointed it out and shared the images on social media.
Three slips in a T20 ..
That kind of pitch 😮😮🫢#INDvsSA #CricketTwitter #Cricket #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/yp5HjCkOYz— Mudit 🇮🇳 (@MuditHastir) September 28, 2022
India however chased the total within 17 overs with Suryakumar Yadav and KL Rahul slamming half-centuries each to help the hosts lead the series 1-0. Speaking after the match, KL Rahul said it was one of the toughest pitches on which he has played so far. “Definitely, it was one of the toughest pitch. We have played in some difficult conditions like this but I haven’t got runs, so this was hard work.”
He also credited his partner Suryakumar Yadav for playing some aggressive shots on such a pitch. “It was unbelievable for Surya to come out there and play those shots, we have seen how balls were flying, nipping around, two-paced and everything that can be hard for a batter that was the wicket today.”
“We did practice here yesterday and that was a humbling experience as well. We all came in prepared mentally as it was not going to be an easy wicket and I was ready to do the dirty work, ready to be challenged and get the job done for the team,” he concluded.
IND vs SA LIVE: Fans lash out at KCA and BCCI for Green TOP to prepare for T20 World Cup, batters STRUGGLE big time at Greenfield stadium, Check OUT
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