Indian team unhappy with Kotla track, wants something for pacers going forward

New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Indian team management is not happy with the rather placid Feroz Shah Kotla track that was used in the second Test against the West Indies despite winning the game by seven wickets here on Tuesday.

In its next Test assignment, against South Africa in Kolkata and Guwahati in November, the team management would like pitches that allow premier pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj to be more effective even though the Proteas will have Kagiso Rabada in the ranks.

The series against South Africa will start on November 14.

Head coach Gautam Gambhir voiced the disappointment of the team management, which felt that neither the medium pacers nor the finger spinners got any purchase off the track.

"I thought that we could have had a better wicket here. Yes, we did get the result on day five, but again, I think the nicks need to carry. I think there has to be something for the fast bowlers as well," Gambhir said after the end of the match which sealed a 2-0 series sweep for the home side.

"I know we keep talking about spinners playing an important role, but when you've got probably two quality fast bowlers in your ranks, you still want them to be in the game as well," Gambhir underlined the importance of Bumrah and Siraj.

Traditionally, Kotla tracks offer slow turn but Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar hardly got any off the surface.

The batters could easily play the spinners off the backfoot if they didn't increase pace in their deliveries.

Gambhir believes that if one wants Test cricket to be alive in India, tracks like Kotla aren't the best.

"There has to be carry. So what we all saw, I thought the carry wasn't there, which was a bit alarming.

"And I think going forward, we can get better wickets in Test cricket because all of us have the responsibility of keeping Test cricket alive," Gambhir said. PTI KHS PM KHS PM