"Won't be surprised if the match referee gives it a demerit point" - Dinesh Karthik on pitch used for IND vs SA Cape Town Test
Dinesh Karthik has expressed his displeasure over the quality of the pitch used in Cape Town for the ongoing second Test between India and South Africa.
A total of 23 wickets fell on Day 1 of the contest. After electing to bat first, South Africa were bundled out for a paltry score of 55, the lowest-ever total against India in the format.
The Men in Blue batters also struggled to get going, getting bowled out for 153 following a collapse that saw them loose six wickets without scoring a run.
Speaking about the pitch, here's what Karthik told Cricbuzz:
"I think if people are complaining about spin pitches on how matches can tend to get over very quickly, it is the same with pitches that aid fast bowling as well. Very hard to play on. As you can see, 23 wickets fell in one day, and some of them were unplayable balls."
Karthik also opined that the pitch could potentially receive a demerit point for not offering an even contest between bat and ball.
"The difference between playing on challenging pitches and playing on tough pitches is you need a bit of luck on tough pitches," he continued. "This is one such pitch which is not purely skill-based, and you need a bit of luck sometimes. That is never a good pitch to have in Test cricket.
"I won't be surprised if the match referee gives it a demerit point because it has not been up to the mark."
Mohammed Siraj was the pick of the bowlers for India in the first innings, bagging a stunning six-wicket haul. Lauding Siraj for his incredible opening spell, Karthik said:
"He (Siraj) bowled beautifully. As a fast bowler, when your body is warmed up and you are in a good rhythm and you are picking wickets, you just want to keep going. You don't want to give the ball to anyone else, and that's what Siraj wanted to do."
"Bowled a six-over spell, generally, seven is long, but bowled a couple of extra overs, got the six wickets in his first spell, and it was an outstanding spell of quality bowling where he picked up wickets not just because of the pitch but also the quality of deliveries that he bowled," he added.
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Siraj hit the right areas on a pitch where there was an inconsistent bounce. Karthik explained:
"He bowls a very hard length to defend on, and that is the reason why he got a lot of the wickets where the extra bounce from the good length just kicked in and got the top of the bat. It was a really good spell of bowling. Right up there with some of the best an Indian bowler has bowled away from India."
While Siraj picked up six wickets in the first innings, Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar finished with two scalps each. Kyle Verreynne (15) and David Bedingham (12) were the only two South African batters to cross the 10-run mark in the innings.
"If it happened in India, there would be a lot of debate on the pitch" - Dinesh Karthik
Dinesh Karthik stated that a lot of people would have made an uproar about the pitch had 23 wickets fallen in a single day on a spin-friendly wicket in India.
Karthik suggested that many would have lashed out over the match not going till the fifth day, remarking:
"23 wickets, you look at that and go, Wow! If it happened in India, there would be a lot of debate on the pitch, why it is like this, how can it happen, and a Test match is of five days, what is the hurry, etc, But yes, quite a day to start 2024."
South Africa finished 62/3 at stumps on Day 1, trailing India by 36 runs. Aiden Markram (36*) and David Bedingham (7*) will resume batting on the morning of the second day.