India misread the pitch: Mhambrey

Ranchi, Feb 24: India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey on Friday said the pitch at the JSCA Sports Complex was not a rank turner but they did not expect to play so slow on the second day itself.
The hosts were reeling at 219 for seven at the end of day two with England off-spinner Shoiab Bashir grabbed a brilliant 4/84 in his second Test. “Considering the nature of the games we’ve had previously here, the wicket tends to get slower as the day progresses,” Mhambrey said after the second day’s play.
“Historically, they slow down and play on the lower side. We expected that, but honestly, we didn’t anticipate it playing so low on the second day itself. The variable bounce was unexpected.
“As of now, I wouldn’t call it as a rank-turner; it’s just that the bounce is low, making batting a bit challenging. I don’t think there were too many balls that spun sharply or were unplayable.” Mhambrey further stressed that the team management has no role to play in pitch preparation and it’s the local association’s prerogative.
“Firstly, venues are not something we can control. The way the wicket has played out here has always been similar, never a rank turner. That’s the nature of the soil.“There are no specific instructions from our side that we want to play on a rank-turner. Obviously, the soil here is different to what we have seen in Rajkot.” (PTI)