Video: When Virat Kohli Played Down A Pitch Debate After An Overseas Loss Against South Africa

The talk of pitches in England's tour of India has made a lot of noise in the last few weeks. 

In all three test matches played so far, one constant thing is the debate over the pitches used. In the first test, the Chennai pitch was a 'road' and had nothing for the bowlers while in the second and the third test, a complete turnaround happened, where bowlers, or rather spinners, were too dominating to play. 

However, the pitch debate or complaints have mostly been from one side - England. The visitors won the first test where the pitch was a 'road' but in the last two tests, the English pundits haven't stopped talking about it. Joe Root, however, has left it for ICC to decide whether the pitch was poor or was it the batsmen that were at fault with their poor techniques against spin. 

Indian captain Virat Kohli and batsmen Rohit Sharma, after the third test, said that it was a poor application from batsmen from both sides and the pitch was good to bat on. 

Since Kohli has taken over the captaincy, India has never complained about the pitches they have played on, whether in India or overseas. In the last few days, a press conference clip of Kohli playing down a pitch debate during their tour of South Africa in 2018 has been doing rounds.

 

listen to the king pic.twitter.com/vUn0sVSeb0

— (@Kohliesque) February 25, 2021

In the clip, it can be seen Kohli not complaining about the pitch and wanted his team to play hard cricket. 

“We are not complaining about Cape Town either,” Kohli said. “The game was finished in three days, one was a washout. So look, we are not complaining about pitches, we are not complaining about conditions. We have come here to play. As I said, we have had equal opportunities to win in both games, and that’s the positive we can take out of it, but I’m not sitting here comforting my guys. So I don’t know what you are listening to, but I’m asking everyone to be hard on themselves.”

What Happened During India's Tour Of South Africa In 2018

The pitches during India's test series against South Africa were called 'poor, 'dangerous', and 'unpredictable'. India won the match third test in Johannesburg where the pitch was rated 'poor' by ICC after the match. Even during the match, umpires discussed whether to continue the play at a 'dangerous' pitch. 

Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah in their respective interview to press never complained about the pitches and called them 'challenging but not dangerous'. 

In the 2nd test as well, South Africa's captain Faf du Plessis called the pitch at Centurion to be 'substandard' due to lack of pace and bounce.