IND vs ENG: Shubman Gill Slams Flat Pitches After India’s Big Win at Edgbaston

After India’s record-breaking win over England at Edgbaston, captain Shubman Gill raised an important concern about Test cricket conditions in England.

According to him, flat pitches and quickly softening Dukes balls are making life too easy for batters and too hard for bowlers.

“It gets very difficult for the bowlers,” Gill said after India levelled the series 1-1. “Even more than the wicket, the ball is going soft and out of shape very quickly. I don’t know what it is, weather, wickets, or whatever, but it becomes hard to get wickets in these conditions.”

He added that once the initial 20 overs of help disappear, bowlers are left trying to stop runs instead of attacking for wickets.

“If the ball is doing something, you enjoy playing. But if you have to spend most of the day on the defensive, the game loses its essence,” Gill said.

India managed to take all 20 English wickets at Edgbaston, with 15 of them coming in short bursts using three new balls. Gill praised his fast bowlers for stepping up in these testing conditions, especially in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.

“They were absolutely magnificent for us,” he said about Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj. “Both of them took 16–17 wickets. That itself is a big, big achievement.”

Gill also took a light-hearted dig at himself, saying he didn’t mind a batter-friendly surface once in a while, after dealing with tough conditions in the past. In the last Test, he was dismissed on 147 and admitted he wanted to lead better by example this time.

India’s captain stressed that the current squad has the depth to win anywhere.

“These are the best players in the country,” he said. “I believe any bowling combination from this 16 can take 20 wickets in any part of the world.”