Don't agree with Yuvraj Singh's opinion, wickets have been the same for everyone, asserts Gautam Gambhir
Gambhir feels the wickets have been the same for everyone
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Gautam Gambhir has disagreed with Yuvraj Singh's opinion that the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh would have taken more wickets had they played on surfaces like the Ahmedabad one. He stated that the wickets that have been the same for everyone but admitted that DRS plays a huge role.
There has been a lot of uproar about the turning nature of the wickets in the ongoing Test series between India and England, especially, the way the pitch has assisted spinners in the last two Tests. Last week, the former Indian cricketer and World Cup-winner Yuvraj Singh got embroiled in a controversy when he suggested that had Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh got Ahmedabad like wickets, they would have finished with 1,000 and 800 Test wickets respectively.
The third Test between India and England finished well inside two days and had seen Indian spinners claiming 19 of the 20 English wickets in the game that India won by 10 wickets. Former Indian opener Gautam Gambhir disagreed with Yuvraj's point of view in regards to the nature of the surfaces and the help it could have provided to the spinners of the earlier times as he reckoned that the wickets have been the same for everyone.
"From that point of view, I do agree with Yuvraj Singh (DRS perspective) but from the point of view that had they played on these kinds of pitches, probably not. Because see, wickets have been the same for everyone. Ashwin doesn’t ask for these kinds of wickets, it’s the team management that asks for it. And when you prepare such wickets, Ashwin is under more pressure to deliver," Gambhir said on the 'Runorder' show on ESPNCricinfo, reported HT.
Gambhir, however, unlike Yuvraj Singh, emphasized that the DRS has played a huge role in present times and if it was available during the years gone by, the likes of Kumble and Harbhajan would have surely ended up with more wickets.
"Yes, wickets are different today but DRS today plays a huge role. Had there been DRS when Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh was bowling, Kumble would have gone to 1000 wickets and Harbhajan would have got around 700 wickets because DRS plays a massive role especially in India where there are lot of inside edges, or bat pads and stuff."
India and England will lock horns in the fourth and final Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium from March 4 onwards. Currently, the hosts are leading the series 2-1 and are just a win or a draw away from reaching the finale of the World Test Championship.
