Won't be surprised if England give grassy pitches but expect an 'Indian summer': Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar said there was a lot of ‘moaning’ about the pitches in India when England came here for a four-match Test series so it won't be a surprise if they grassy pitches this time.
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said it won’t at all be surprising if England dish out grassy tracks for India in the upcoming five-match Test series which will take place after the World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand.
Gavaskar said there was a lot of ‘moaning’ about the pitches in India when England came here for a four-match Test series.
"Having moaned about the pitches in India earlier this year, it won't be a surprise if the groundsman in England leaves a little grass on the surface,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Telegraph.
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The former India captain, however, said that grassy pitches are no longer a worry for Team India as they have the bowling unit to give ‘problems’ to the England batsmen.
“That is no longer a worry as India have an attack that will also thrive on it and cause problems for the England batsmen too," Gavaskar added.
There is a gap of almost 40 days between the WTC final and first Test against England. Gavaskar said that gap will work in India’s favour as they might play practice games.
"The summer in England promises to be the golden summer of Indian cricket. After the WTC finals, there is a gap of about six weeks before the Test series starts against England and that should be enough for the team to play some practice games and tune-up for what England can hurl at them,” he wrote.
The legendary opener did not directly name India as the favourites but said chances are high that this will be an 'Indian summer.'
“It is foolish to try and predict the score but it looks like it will be an Indian summer in England," he added.
There's a flip side to NZ playing two Tests before WTC final: Gavaskar
Talking about the WTC final between India and New Zealand, Gavaskar said, there is a flip side to New Zealand playing two Tests against England before the marquee event.
"The pessimists are suggesting that playing two Tests before the WTC finals will be a huge plus for the Kiwis as they will be match ready and better acclimatized to the conditions.
“The flip side of playing those two Tests is that New Zealand could get beaten and thus be low on morale when they take on India and there could be some injuries and niggles to some of their key players which can happen in early June in England," he added,” Gavaskar wrote.
