02 December,2015 08:30 AM IST | | Nishad Pai Vaidya
Skipper Kohli wonders why the Indian media is harping on spin-friendly pitches and not on the fact that his team is up in the series going into today’s fourth and final Test in New Delhi
New Delhi: A day after the International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed that match referee Jeff Crowe deemed the Nagpur pitch "poor", India captain Virat Kohli stood by his belief of exploiting home conditions. The third Test at Nagpur saw India win by 124 runs inside three days. South Africa were bowled out for 79 in the first innings, which only fueled the debate over the pitches.
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When Kohli was asked about the ICC statement, he spoke about 'articles' not being written when teams get bundled out for low scores in South Africa. "It's about the mindset or opinion of someone. I don't relate to it. I don't understand it and I certainly don't entertain it. It doesn't bother me or the team," Kohli said.
It was then again pointed out to the Indian captain that the rating had been revealed by an ICC statement.
Kohli then said, "Yeah, I'm talking about everyone. I'm not talking about people writing articles in general. It is an assessment that has happened in every condition, in every ground. Unfortunately, in our country and in our situation, it is highlighted a lot more. That's a fact." India's general response through this series has been that there is no discussion about the pitches when they travel abroad, and only their poor performances are talked about, which Kohli reiterated.
"Why are we not talking about the fact that we are 2-0 up in the series? We are criticised about our game and technique when we don't play well abroad. But when the visitors perform badly, it's always the wicket. Teams have been bundled out under 100 for about six times in South Africa. I have never seen any articles written on that.
As has been the case through the series, South Africa refrained from commenting about the pitch. When skipper Hashim Amla was asked about the ICC's match referee's assessment, he said, "Whatever has happened in Nagpur, has happened. It's the end of story. For us it is about concentrating on this Test match and hopefully ending this tour very well for us."
