Harbhajan Singh : Can't play on wickets where anyone runs in and takes wickets

02/26/2017

Harbhajan Singh has blasted the wicket that was prepared for the first Test of the Border-Gavaskar series saying, “Test cricket should last five days”. The off-spinner has also reserved his comments on Australian spinner Steve O’Keefe, who picked up 12 wickets, till he bowls on a “good Test wicket”.

The first Test between India and Australia ended on the third day, and the pitch at the MCA Stadium in Pune has come under a lot of criticism for breaking up and assisting spinners from the first session of the match. Harbhajan Singh became the latest person to slam the Pune pitch saying that a Test match should last five days.

“To be honest, that wasn’t a pitch. Test cricket should last five days. You cannot play on such wickets where anyone runs in tobowl and takes wickets. I have played in over 100 Tests, and I know how hard I had to work to earn every single wicket.

To be honest, that wasn’t a pitch. Test cricket should last five days.

Harbhajan

“When you prepare such a wicket, you are making conditions favourable for the opposition as well. That’s what happened in Pune. When I say a good Test wicket, I mean a strip where the ball does not shoot up from the first day itself,” Harbhajan Singh told the Indian Express.

Although Australian spinner Steve O’Keefe picked up 12 wickets in the 333-run win for Australia, Harbhajan Singh has refused to hop in on his band wagon without seeing him perform on a “good Test wicket”. He said, “I will have to see him bowl on a good Test match wicket. Not this one. Till then, I will reserve my comments.

“You don’t need to flight the ball or anything. You just need to bowl fast and not give the batsmen room to either come down the track, or be able to manoeuvre the ball around. Bowling six deliveries in the same spot is all you need to get wickets on such tracks.”

Before the start of the series, Harbhajan Singh had predicted that India would win 4-0 in the series like most of the experts and following Australia’s win in the first Test, the off-spinner was trolled on the social media.

“Today, my predictions have been proved wrong. I have been getting trolled on the social media for making this prediction,” he added.