Controversial Newlands Pitch Sparks Criticism in South Africa-India Test Series

Even during India's final tour of South Africa in the 2021–2022 season, the pitches still had some bounce for the quicks. The fact that 300 was only broken once in those three Tests (by India in the opening match in Centurion) indicates that batting wasn't easy on those surfaces either, despite the fact that South Africa had twice chased down 200-plus totals in the fourth innings to win that series 2-1.

The next two matches in that series continued until the penultimate day at least, with the exception of the first Test, which lasted for five days.

One could argue that South Africa's batting has gotten worse during the recently finished series. During the second and final Test in Cape Town, the majority of the Indian batting lineup also lacked application and looked technically unprepared.

Although the pitch didn't really misbehave much on Day 2, which also happened to be the last day of the Cape Town Test, inconsistent bounce occasionally caused problems for batsmen. The fact that the majority of South Africa's batsmen chose terrible shots, on the other hand, also contributed to India winning the Test in just over four sessions.

In the beginning of 2021, India defeated England in a day and night pink-ball Test match thanks to a rank turner in Ahmedabad. That Ahmedabad pitch was subsequently deemed "average" by the International Cricket Council (ICC). For this Newlands surface, what might the rating be?

With its excessive movement and inconsistent bounce, the pitch won't be regarded favorably by the ICC. Though getting a result in two days is a bit too much in the bowlers' favor, players would always prefer to have one.

"Bat and ball need to be balanced," an ICC insider stated.

It won't be shocking in the slightest if the ICC rates the pitch as below average or even poor, given that India captain Rohit Sharma has also expressed dissatisfaction with the Newlands wicket.

Legendary South African pacer Allan Donald also tore up the Newlands surface. Furthermore, according to Donald, it wouldn't be just to attribute the less-than-two-day finish to the batsmen's ability deficiencies.

"The bowlers' physical prowess, technical proficiency, and inventiveness would always be put to the test at Newlands, especially as partnerships develop. This is the best pitch I have ever seen.

"I don't think Test cricket should involve watching 23 wickets fall on Day 1 and then four quickly this morning, and then watching India come out and take their chances chasing 79," the author said. The DP World Lions' bowling coach, Donald, stated to The presstime on Thursday, "Bowlers in Cape Town have always had to think harder and be creative, but this was just the opposite."

"The dismissals are simply not due to a lack of skill on the part of the batsmen, given how quickly the ball moved off the seam." The ball is pitched in an excellent area, bounces off the seam so quickly, and gives you no time to react.

This was a total mismatch between the ball and the bat. On the other hand, Aiden Markram scored a gallant and hard-working century. Yes, you still need to bowl well on such a surface. But there will be a lot of questions.

"Today (Thursday) was a huge blow for Test cricket, and this pitch is going to take some serious flak. Donald retorted, "It was a one-sided competition that deserved more.

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