Gill slams Dukes balls, seeks something for bowlers in pitches to keep game’s essence in tact

Birmingham: India captain Shubman Gill on Sunday slammed the fast deteriorating nature of the Dukes ball before giving a thumbs down to the trend of flat pitches seen in the first two Tests of the series despite high personal returns.

Gill smashed has smashed close to 600 runs in four innings he has played thus far but looking at the bigger picture, he is of the opinion that pitches should have something for the bowlers.

The quality of the Dukes is not helping either with the softer ball 30 over onwards forcing teams to be on the offensive.

“It is very difficult for the bowlers. I think more than the wicket, maybe the ball is out of shape very quickly. It gets soft very quickly. I don't know what it is, whether it is wickets or whatever. It is difficult for the bowlers. It is very difficult to get a wicket in such conditions, when there is nothing there,” he said in response to a PTI query.

“And as a team, when you know that it is difficult to get a wicket, when you know that it is difficult to get a wicket in such conditions, a lot of things are out of your control. There should be a little help for the bowlers. If the ball is doing something, then you can plan something in some way, and then it is fun to play," Indian skipper was forthright in his assessment.

“If you know that only the first 20 overs or something will happen, after that you are on the defensive all day, you are thinking all day about how to stop the runs. Then the essence of the game comes out of it,” said Gill after the series levelling win at Edgbaston.

Having won his first Test as captain, Gill also saw the funny side while commenting on the nature of pitches in England.

“Yes, like we play in India, most of them are friendly. It feels good to come here and get good pitches for a while (laughs).”

However, he is not expecting the pitch to be as flat as Leeds or Edgbaston in the third Test beginning at Lord’s from July 10.

“We will see what kind of wicket they are giving to the Lord's. I don't think they will give such a flat wicket. This is my feeling. But we will go there and take a decision and we will see what kind of wicket it is, what is the best possible combination.”

Gill also confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be playing at Lord’s after being rested at Edgbaston as part of workload management of the injury prone pace spearhead.