No one talked about pitch when Hashim Amla made 60, says Ajinkya Rahane

Wanderers pitch came under severe criticism on the third day of the final Test match for showing uneven bounce every other ball. After few interruptions and meeting with the captain and the on-field umpires, South Africa opener Dean Elgar took a hit on his helmet by a rising delivery and the umpires decided to take the players off the field prematurely, with more than 10 overs to spare. South Africa were struggling at 17/1 in their second innings after India set them a target of 241 runs.

Amidst doubts of a game on the fourth day, Rahane was asked about his thoughts on the track during the post-match press conference, as he faced 68 balls to make a crucial 48-run knock. And the batsman stated that the pitch hadn’t changed in the first three days and, quite interestingly, pointed out to Hashim Amla, who was hailed for his 61-run knock in the first innings.

"New ball is challenging but you cannot call it dangerous, When Amla got 60, no one talked about the pitch. Everybody talked about how he played," he said. "I hope Elgar is fine, but I don't think the pitch is too dangerous. I don't know what the ICC is going to do, but as a team our focus is to get on with the game," said Rahane.

Rahane also referred to the brilliant manner in which India’s batting order dealt with the pitch, who had to deal with similar deliveries but didn’t raise any objections.

“Wicket was challenging. It was similar for both the teams. Vijay scored 25 runs. Our openers played well. When me, and Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] were batting, we were not thinking about the wicket but focusing on the delivery. What about them bowling short balls to our bowlers? When Ishant , Bhuvi, Shami and Bumrah were batting, everyone was bowling bouncers. I don't think it is a dangerous wicket, yes, it is a challenging wicket," he added.

Indian team manager Sunil Subramaniam also revealed that Indian players wanted to play the game despite South Africa’s objection, however, the decision didn’t depend on their opinion. 

"We didn't ask them to prepare this wicket. They prepared it. We want to play on this. Rest decision is with umpires and the match referee," Subramanium said.