Ranchi pitch debacle: Kumble joins chorus of ‘wrong’ surface as batters struggle

The Ranchi pitch for IND vs ENG 4th Test has been a nightmare to bat on with the cracks widening every day. Odd balls have turned and some have kept low while some got an extra bounce. Was it a kind of pitch Rahul Dravid or Rohit Sharma wanted for a potential series-decider? Maybe not. But who is at fault? Everyone is searching for that answer as India stare at a huge first-innings deficit on Day 3. And former India captain and coach Anil Kumble too has joined the chorus of a wrong pitch.

After Michael Vaughan and Stuart Broad slammed the pitch, former England batter Nick Knight and Anil Kumble joined in. Kumble and Knight said India would not have wanted such a pitch after taking a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

“India would not have wanted such a pitch after going 2-1 up,” Anil Kumble said ahead of Day 3 of IND vs ENG Ranchi Test.

Ranchi Pitch under scanner

The surface used in Ranchi has had grassy patches but also cracks that have been widening with the match. To make things worse, balls have kept low, some have turned away, some have had an extra bounce and some have kept straight.

That is where Indian batters struggled going down to 177/7 in a chase of 353.

I mainly tweet about England- but looking at India. They’re an amazing team on flat Test pitches in India where their spinners skill comes into it & they out bowl other teams. Playing on pitches that roll along the floor brings in the opposition so much more. I can’t understand…

— Stuart Broad (@StuartBroad8) February 24, 2024

“We didn’t anticipate it playing so low on the second day itself. The variable bounce was unexpected. As of now, I wouldn’t call it as a rank-turner. It’s just that the bounce is low, making batting a bit challenging. I don’t think there were too many balls that spun sharply or were unplayable,” India bowling coach Paras Mahmbrey said at the end of Day 2 of IND vs ENG Ranchi Test.

Who instructed to prepare such a pitch?

While Paras Mhambrey denied that the team management had anything to do it with the pitch, historically, it has been the captain or the coach’s inputs that have laid the foundation for a home pitch.

“There are no specific instructions from our side that we want to play on a rank-turner. Obviously, the soil here is different to what we have seen in Rajkot,” Paras Mahmbrey said.

The old saying .. Do not judge a pitch till both teams have batted and bowled on it .. but let’s be honest .. this one looks a shocker .. #INDvsENG

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) February 23, 2024

In this case, Dr Shyam Bahadur Singh who holds a PhD in pitch management, is the one who will have to take the blame if India lose. However, instead of giving India a pitch that plays to their strength, he has unleashed a demon.

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Indian batters rarely do well on pitches that have turns or play slow. Ranchi hasn’t offered great turn but it has certainly embrassed Indian batters.

To make things worse, Ravichandran Ashwin has been off-colour and that has created a vacuum.

“Firstly, venues are not something we can control. The way the wicket has played out here has always been similar, never a rank turner. That’s the nature of the soil,” Mhambrey added.