Roseau: India’s decision to settle for an easy draw rather than push for a win in the third Test against the West Indies may have surprised many but coach Duncan Fletcher said it was ‘commonsense’ to not go for runs on a difficult Windsor Park pitch.
“It wasn’t difficult to get set but it was very difficult to score runs. How could we score 5-6 runs per over when scoring three runs an over on that pitch wasn’t easy,” said Fletcher at the post-match press conference.
“We have seen through the match that unless and until the bowling was really bad, it wasn’t easy to score. You can’t play square of the wicket and that’s a huge advantage to the bowling side.”
Fletcher claimed his side decided to shut the shop after they saw Suresh Raina struggle on the pitch.
“We sent Suresh up the order but even he found it very difficult. If a left-hander, against a leg-spin bowling is struggling, there was no point. It’s difficult to score four runs an over in Test cricket. ” (PTI)
