Mark Butcher slammed Gautam Gambhir’s team management, calling India’s risky home pitch strategy “insane” and unnecessary after their 30-run loss to South Africa.
Former England cricketer Mark Butcher criticised India’s approach to home conditions, calling their pitch strategy risky and unnecessary after the 30-run defeat to South Africa in Kolkata. He argued that India, despite possessing strong batting depth and fast bowlers, are giving visiting teams an equal chance by preparing surfaces with excessive assistance for bowlers.
“There’s one mental block that’s left and and if they get over it, then look out, everybody forever: this idea when you have home advantage… you do not need to play opposition on pitches that give them an equal chance,” Butcher told Wisden.
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Mark Butcher also stated that India continue to repeat the same mistake seen after their 3–0 home defeat to New Zealand last year. He believes India’s fast-bowling group, led by Jasprit Bumrah, along with a strong batting core and world-class spinners, are better suited to pitches with bounce and gradual wear.
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“You have all of the things in your favour in terms of the brilliant batting. As I say, you can pick any number of fast bowlers. You’ve got Bumrah, who’s the best in the world. Fast bowlers did an incredible job away from home in England, and spin bowlers are the envy of the rest of the planet. And yet you level up the playing field to the extent that a 50 by a temper Bavuma in the 3rd innings of the game is enough to win a match,” Butcher said.
“That’s completely insane, for what it’s worth. And nobody would listen, but my advice would be you play on pitches that have a little bit of bounce and carry, and that break up naturally over the course of a game. And your skill will be too much for pretty much everybody else when you’re playing at home. Why would you need to roll the dice and gamble on something where you could lose the toss and end up batting last on the rest of it is completely beyond me. Baffles me and has been for at least the last probably the last 3 or 4 years,” he added.
This loss was India’s fourth in six home Tests, a run last seen more than 50 years ago.
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