Virat Kohli unhappy with the ball used in Ranchi Test
India captain Virat Kohli was not too pleased with the balls used for the Ranchi Test. Australia, led by Peter Handscomb and Shaun Marsh, managed to stave off the Indian attack for long periods and lost only four wickets on the final day to hang onto a draw.
Asked in the post-match presentation on Star Sports if the pitch was not playing up as much as it was expected to, Kohli said,”It was more to do with the ball. I don’t think the ball was hard enough for it to bite off the surface. Even the one that got changed wasn’t up to standards. I don’t know the lot of balls that is coming in, it had nothing to do with the wicket. I think when you don’t have the hardness in the ball it’s very difficult for the guys to generate pace off the wicket.
“Hard new ball, 40 overs later again, the game gets delayed… If you have a hard ball throughout, then it’s a different ball game altogether. Probably when they (Australia) were bowling as well. The harder ball would have made a difference. That’s what happens. That’s Test cricket. Conditions always don’t go your way. You got to test yourselves. Credit to them for playing out the draw,” he said.
Australia lost just two wickets in the final two sessions of the day with Shaun Marsh and Peter Handscomb playing superbly in 373-ball stand that helped Australia maintain series parity.
India got the old ball changed once in the 71st over of the innings and also opted for the second new ball as soon as it was available but to no avail. Handscomb and Marsh were separated only in the 12th over of the second new ball.
Asked about it in the post-match press conference, Steve Smith brushed it off. “Haven’t really thought about it. Both teams have to play with the same SG balls,” he said.
