India cricket team captain Shubman Gill wasn’t happy with the flat surface provided for ENG vs IND 2nd Test, noting that it made lives very difficult for bowlers. His remarks come after an Indian bowling line-up sans Jasprit Bumrah managed to take all 20 wickets to hand England a 336-run thashing. While Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep managed to get 5 and four wickets respectively in the 1st innings, it was the latter who destroyed England with a six-wicket haul in the 2nd.

“Game loses its essence”

Speaking to reporters at the post-match press conference, Gill pointed out that ball was going soft and out of shape which made it very difficult for the bowlers. He said that the pitch, ball or the weather made it near impossible for bowlers to take wickets.

“It gets very difficult for the bowlers. Even more than the wicket, the ball is going soft and out of shape very quickly. I don’t know what it is – weather, wickets or whatever – but it gets very difficult for the bowlers to get wickets in these conditions. As a team, when you know it is difficult to get wickets and runs are coming easily, a lot of things are out of your control,” Gill said.

The Indian captain claimed that there should be some help for the bowlers at least in the form of the ball doing something. Gill said that the ball working for only 20 overs which forces the team to play defensive for the rest of the time allows Test cricket to lose its essence.

“I think there should be a little help at least. If the ball is doing something, you enjoy playing. If you know there is only 20 overs of any help and then you have to spend the rest of the day on the defensive, thinking how to stop runs, then the game loses its essence,” Gill added.