The pitches laid out in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League continued to draw flak with Delhi Capitals’ Prithvi Shaw on Saturday questioning the slow nature of the Feroze Shah Kotla track for their home matches.
While the young batsman said the wicket was not ideal, he scored 99 against Kolkata Knight Riders in New Delhi.
“The wickets weren’t good as we were expecting it to be,” Shaw said. “The new ball was moving slow off the track and turning from ball one. Nevertheless, we are just keeping those things besides and looking forward to next game,” he said ahead of Delhi’s clash against struggling Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The slow pitch in Chennai in the tournament opener also invited criticism from Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni and RCB skipper Virat Kohli. When asked if batting second will be an advantage on the Chinnaswamy pitch, Shaw thinks that pitch will remain even throughout the game.
“I don’t think it matters too much if you are batting or bowling first on this [Bangalore] pitch. The wicket remains the same throughout the 40 overs. There is only the dew factor that probably comes in the second innings,” he said.
The Capitals started with a bang but have been pretty inconsistent. They have won just two of the five matches they have played so far.
“Everything was going good. We are practicing hard and preparing well, but not been able to execute on the ground. It is cricket. It happens. Personally, I don’t think IPL is very tough. There will be ups and downs for teams,” he said.
When asked if he fancies the chance of making into the World Cup squad after making 99 runs against Kolkata Knight Riders, Shaw said he is not thinking about it.
“I don’t think getting 99 can make a big change, so I would rather not think about getting selected for the World Cup, instead I would rather do my job first in the IPL and try and win games. I think we are at a very crucial stage of the IPL,” he said.