Chennai: The slowness of the Chepauk track might be attracting a lot of criticism but veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh said while the wicket was difficult to bat, it was not unplayable.
Rival captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli expressed their disappointment over the wicket here after the opening match of the Indian Premier League turned out to be damp squib last night.
After Royal Challengers Bangalore got bundled out for 70 in 17.1 overs.
Chennai Super Kings achieved the target in 17.4 overs, winning by seven wickets.
“See, it was a difficult pitch to bat on but it wasn’t like it was unplayable. We’re so used to watching matches on good wickets where no one complains when people score 170-180. But if it spins or seams a little, everyone has a problem, saying why is this happening?” Harbhajan said at the post match press conference.
“No one has a problem with why so many runs are being made. So people actually forget that the bowler also has a job in cricket. Batsmen should struggle once in a while so that they understand that it should be a battle of bat and ball,” he added.
“In some places, yes, they played some rash shots as well. It was not that this was a 70 runs wicket. You’ll get at least 120 if you apply yourself,” Harbhajan, who won the man-of-the-match award for his spell of three for 20, said.
The 38-year-old admitted that he and his team were surprised at the amount of turn they got from the pitch.
“It was a wicket where it was holding a bit. We honestly didn’t expect it to turn so much as it did today. We played a practice match here and the wicket was a good one. We would have preferred to play on a wicket that wouldn’t spin as much as this did. Hopefully it would be better hereafter,” he said.
PTI