India fast bowler Mohammed Shami has questioned the South Africans over the nature of the pitch laid out for the ongoing second Test at Centurion's SuperSport Park.
Many were surprised to see a brownish 22-yard strip at the start of the match. While India captian Virat Kohli expected another "lively" wicket for the contest, it was not to be.
Also read: SA-India series schedule, squads, live streaming info
Now, after four days of action where the pitch has deteriorated and is offering variable bounce, Shami said he was surprised to see such a surface in an overseas Test.
Chasing 287 for victory, India ended the fourth day at 35/3. Shami said they will try to win on the final day.
"I did not expect the ball would stay so low in this wicket. Till now in overseas conditions, we have not seen such slow and low bounce wickets. So I don't know what they were thinking when they made this wicket. But whatever it is we have to play on it and the conditions are same for both teams. Tomorrow we will try to win," Shami, who took four wickets, said after the day's play yesterday (January 16).
"The wicket has been slow since the beginning, even on the first day you saw that it is going low continuously. And even today, it went slow and low and you needed a lot of extra effort. We tried to give 110-120 percent. That was more important for us," he added.
After the third day's play, hosts' fast bowler Morne Morkel too had questioned the "Indian" pitch stating he had "never seen a wicket like this" in Centurion.
He had said, "It's unheard of that a spinner bowls that amount of overs on the first day. We even took the option to open in the over before lunch with a spinner (on day two). There's a very subcontinental feel to it. It's tough scoring, tough to get people out.
"Luckily we've got some experience of that in the bank. But they are not the conditions that we want here in South Africa. I've played cricket here all my life, and I've never seen a wicket like this at SuperSport Park."
India lost the opening Test of the three-match series by 72 runs in Cape Town. The third and final game is in Johannesburgh from January 24.
