Cricket News

‘This was one of the toughest pitches to play on’ -KL Rahul gives his thoughts on the pitch in Thiruvananthapuram

On a wicket which was two-paced and had conditions where a huge amount of swing was available, the Indian bowlers made merry on the pitch at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. The wreckers in chief were Deepak Chahar and Arshdeep Singh. They put South Africa on the mat as the Proteas were crippling at 9-5, and from there it was a tough innings. South Africa could only get to 106 -8 at the end of 20 overs.

During the chase when Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli fell early due to great bowling in the initial overs. KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav got together and made stroke-filled half-centuries to ensure that India get to the target in the 16th over.

On a pitch which looked similar to the one for a test match, the batters struggled and coped with a lot of blows on the pads and the gloves. Rahul gave some valuable insights at the end of the match.

“Definitely, right up there (as the toughest pitch). We have played in some difficult conditions like this but I haven’t got runs, so this was hard work. It was unbelievable for Surya to come out there and play those shots, we have seen how balls were flying, nipping around, two-paced and everything that can be hard for a batter that was the wicket today, and for Surya to come with that approach after the first ball that hit him, he just woke up and wanted to play his shots, be aggressive and take on the bowling. That helped me take my time and play one end,” KL Rahul said after the game was over.

“Long ice bath today. Ice baths and wickets like these is not something we enjoy, but we have to do it sometimes.” – He added.

The pitch was compared to a test match wicket and some of the field settings through the course of the match made it look like a teat match was being played and not a T20 International.