Talk over pitch kicks up dust

 They say, as with wives, it’s hard to know how the pitches will turn. But turn they will in this series. The Indian team management has been forthright about playing to the strengths of the home side and that is spin.

“I think there has been a lot of focus given on the pitch (in India) but whenever we travel abroad there is no talk of the pitch,” Virat Kohli said, making his displeasure clear about the issue.

“It has always been how we will struggle against their bowlers or how our bowlers are going to be hit around the park. When someone comes to play here, there is a lot of focus on the pitch. It is unfair to say that it spins a lot or that it is slow. When we go abroad, I don't think there is a single article about the pitch.

“We go there and take up the challenge. The other teams also have to take up the challenge,” he stated.

The Indian Test skipper felt a team to be considered a top one, it has to win in all conditions and not complain.

“If we get conditions that we have to tackle when we go play away from home, we are judged on that. We never complain, never crib, we take up the challenge. We want to come out as better cricketers. I think it’s a different of mindset, it’s how you look at a certain challenge in front of you. We certainly don’t believe in looking at these external factors.

“If you look at the top teams, they are the ones who do well away from home. There are teams who do well in home conditions. I think that is a chance to separate yourself from other teams – when you go out and win in tough conditions.”

South African skipper Hashim Amla lent credence to Kohli’s views with his take on pitches. “If you come to South Africa, you will have a South African kind of wicket,” he pointed out. “That’s what spectators want and sometimes associations want the games to go five days. But, as a player wherever I go in the world, I am expecting conditions suiting the home team. That’s how I see it as a player, but not always players’ view is taken as a consideration. It doesn’t really matter to us. We prepare what we think is going to come at us and play to that,” he reasoned.