Team India Test captain Shubman Gill on Sunday slammed the fast-changing nature of the Dukes ball before commenting on the trend of flat pitches seen in the first two Tests of the series, despite his stunning knocks in both innings. However, Gill has smashed nearly 600 runs in four innings he has played so far, but looking at the bigger picture, he thinks that pitches should have something for the bowlers too as well.

“It is very difficult for the bowlers. I think more than the wicket, maybe the ball is out of shape very quickly. It gets soft very quickly. I don’t know what it is, whether it is wickets or whatever. It is difficult for the bowlers. It is very difficult to get a wicket in such conditions, when there is nothing there,” he said in the post-match press conference.

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“And as a team, when you know that it is difficult to get a wicket, when you know that it is difficult to get a wicket in such conditions, a lot of things are out of your control. There should be a little help for the bowlers. If the ball is doing something, then you can plan something in some way, and then it is fun to play,” he further added. “If you know that only the first 20 overs or something will happen, after that you are on the defensive all day, you are thinking all day about how to stop the runs. Then the essence of the game comes out of it.”

However, having won his first Test as captain, Shubman Gill also saw the funny side while commenting on the nature of pitches in England as well. Moreover, he is not expecting the pitch to be as flat as Leeds or Edgbaston in the third Test taking place at Lord’s from July 10. Notably, he has also confirmed that Jasprit Bumrah will be playing at Lord’s Test after being rested at Edgbaston as part of workload management as well.

“Yes, like we play in India, most of them are friendly. It feels good to come here and get good pitches for a while (laughs). We will see what kind of wicket they are giving to the Lord’s. I don’t think they will give such a flat wicket. This is my feeling. But we will go there and take a decision and we will see what kind of wicket it is, what is the best possible combination.” Shubman Gill concluded.