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Bishan Singh Bedi compares India's tactics to infamous Bodyline tactics

Bishan Bedi has criticised the Indian team’s strategies heavily

There has been a lot of recent furore over the nature of the pitches on which India have hosted South Africa in the ongoing 4-match Test series, and former legend Bishan Bedi has added fuel to the fire by suggesting that the Nagpur wicket was not a sporting wicket at all, according to Mid-Day.

Hinting that India used unfair means to get an advantage over the visitors, Bedi compared the strategy of preparing rank turners to the infamous strategy adopted by the English team in 1932/33 to counter the seemingly insurmountable challenge of bowling to Don Bradman. He also said that Virat Kohli, like the notorious England captain Douglas Jardine, would go down in history as an immoral leader.

“Take off your whites and play with your suspenders on this wrestling pit,” said a livid Bedi, talking about the poor nature of the Nagpur pitch.

He said, "You want me to believe this is home advantage? Pitches are not meant to turn on Day One itself.

“To make a hard and bouncy track, you need some knowledge and a particular kind of soil, but here you didn't need anything, just don't prepare the wicket and that has been the case in Nagpur.”

He also said that it was a pity that the farcical Nagpur Test match was played out "under the nose of the BCCI president (Shashank Manohar) and with the International Cricket Council's cricket committee chief (Anil Kumble) in the commentary box. The home team itself got out for 173 in the second innings, so what does that tell you?"

Ashwin is being pulled down on such wickets: Bedi

Spinners accounted for all 20 South African wickets in the Nagpur Test, with Ravi Ashwin alone taking 12. Bedi said that Ashwin was the only bowler who would succeed on any pitch, and that he was being underutilised on such tracks. Ravi Jadeja and Amit Mishra were being helped by the spin, Bedi said.

"Ashwin is an intelligent bowler and he does not need such kind of surfaces to be successful — Ravindra Jadeja probably needs such wickets, but not Ashwin. You are pulling Ashwin down with such wickets.

“I hope I am not making a sweeping statement here, but captain Virat Kohli will have to answer history just like Douglas Jardine had to answer history for his Bodyline tactics in 1932-33," he said.

"We are reducing the competitive edge of Test cricket. Kohli will be judged because of the behind-the -scenes people who have caused this scenario. I can't understand what's the point in having such pitches. You would have beaten this South African side anyway.

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