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'Technique Was Not...,' Gavaskar Hits Back At Pietersen For Remarks On Indian Pitches

image-lrx79182Kevin Pietersen | Source: X.com

Team India and England are currently playing the first test match of the five-match series at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Since day one, the pitch in Hyderabad has been a major talking point among cricket experts. 

During commentary on the first day, former England captain Kevin Pietersen criticized the nature of the pitch and stated that it should not offer the amount of turn to spinners that it offered. 

In the commentary box alongside him, the former Indian cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed a different perspective, pinpointing a flaw in the 'technique' of the England batters while facing the Indian spinners. 

“Look at the way Jadeja's first two deliveries turned. That's Day 1 of a Test match. The ball shouldn't be turning that much," said Pietersen in commentary during the last session of Day 2 as quoted by Hindustan Times. 

Gavaskar with a contradictory point stated:

“It's not as if the ball was spinning and bouncing, look at the dismissals. (Zak) Crawly caught at mid-on, Root out sweeping. All the other batters... the technique was not good. It wasn't turning and bouncing that much. When you play Test cricket and are coming to India, you have to expect the ball to turn from Day 1. You can't expect the ball to go straight through.”

India's spinners wreaked havoc as England were bowled out for 246 runs in the first innings, with the Indian spinners claiming eight wickets. Meanwhile, India managed to score 436 in their first innings, taking a 190-run lead.

England injected life into the game by posting 420 runs in the second innings, with Ollie Pope playing the knock of his life, having scored 196 runs. This set India a target of 231 runs to chase in the final innings.