As Shubman Gill gets off to an impressive beginning to his Test captaincy, both with the bat and as captain, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has opined and questioned the pitch conditions in England during the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
In the opening two finished Tests of the series, both sets of batters have flourished, with big scores being a common occurrence. On the Willow Talk podcast, Starc mentioned the batting-friendly nature of the pitches and how it had affected the game.
“I wouldn’t bowl to Gill in England, that’s for certain,” Starc laughed. “I didn’t see much of the games myself, but I did monitor the scorecards. There were a few blokes – Marnus (Labuschagne), Alex Carey, and Steve Smith, who’d sit around the coffee machine in the morning and watch the game.”
Starc went on to question the nature of the wickets being prepared, adding, “Looking at the scores, those pitches looked brutal for bowlers. I’ve heard people say they were almost subcontinent-like, which is hard to believe in England.”
Gill’s Dream Start as Captain
Since becoming India’s Test captain, Shubman Gill has quietened talk of a question mark over his technique and temperament. He began his captaincy career with a century and then followed it up with otherworldly scores of 269 and 161 in India’s resounding win at Edgbaston firmly establishing his authority as both a leader and first-choice batter.
Also Read: WATCH VIDEO: Ravindra Jadeja And KL Rahul Tease Shubman Gill After Seeing Sara Tendulkar In London
Starc Not Fussed About Ashes Pitches
During the podcast, Starc was questioned by Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy as to whether the massive high-scoring matches in England had brought any worries before the Ashes. Starc, however, ruled out such a possibility, citing that pitch conditions in Australia would be light years apart.
“I’m not reading into any of that,” Starc said. “It’s like them watching us here (in Australia) where it’s hard to bat. If we’re looking at those games and thinking, ‘Oh, they’re playing on absolute highways,’ what do you even make of a Test where teams are scoring 300 and still getting bowled out?”
He went on, “They’re obviously not playing for draws, and that’s likely the big takeaway.”
With Shubman Gill’s emergence and pitch conditions causing controversy, the India-England series is already drawing attention far beyond its own shores including from some of the sport’s biggest stars.
Also Read: Rohit Sharma All Set To Lead Team India Once Again, As BCCI Plans Major Workload Arrangement !
