Home advantage cannot be taken away from India: Chopra on ‘unknown’ Guwahati pitch

The Guwahati pitch is an uncharted territory for both India and South Africa, but former opener Aakash Chopra reckons that the home side still holds a slight advantage because of its prior experience of playing on such surfaces.

Now a cricket-pundit, Chopra also backed Sai Sudarshan to bat at the crucial number three slot, if skipper Shubhman Gill misses out due to his neck spasm.

India are looking to level the two-match series after losing the Kolkata Test by 30 runs, but playing at the ACA Stadium, a first-time Test venue, poses a unique challenge.

“No one has any idea how cricket will be played in Guwahati because it is a new Test venue. Of course, first-class cricket has already happened there, and we have seen some big turn during the recent Women’s World Cup matches,” Chopra, a JioStar expert, said during a Media Day ahead of the second Test.

“So, if you are playing there for the first time, be it Shubhman Gill or Sai Sudarshan or Rishabh Pant the pitch is as good for them as it is for Temba Bavuma or Ryan Rickleton. So, it is a challenge for both the teams,” he added.

But the former India batter had little doubt that home advantage cannot be taken away from India.

“But we are still playing in India. We grew up playing on these kind of surfaces. Yes, Guwahati might be a different one. But the soil must have come from somewhere in India.”

“We would like to believe and back ourselves to know these conditions or adapt to these conditions a lot faster even if we find them slightly different, as compared to, say, somebody who is brought up in Johannesburg and has played all his cricket at the Wanderers ground,” he noted.

Washington Sundar did no harm to his reputation as a capable batter while batting at No. 3 in the second innings of the Eden Gardens Test.

So, should the left-hander be persisted with at that position, particularly if injured skipper Shubman Gill does not play in the series decider?

Chopra said the team management should get their priority right while finding answers to that vexed question.

“Washington Sundar presents himself as a phenomenal option who can actually bat at the top of the order. He is more than a handy bowler. But then the bigger question that Gautam (Gambhir) and the team management need to answer is are we going to keep changing goalposts after every series?”

“When we were in England, we tried Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair at No. 3. Not that Washington wasn’t available at that point in time but we chose somebody else. Then we came to India, and gave Sai Sudharsan an opportunity and he actually grabbed it with both hands versus the West Indies at Delhi with an 87.”

Chopra used that half-century by Sudharsan to vindicate his argument of giving priority to a pure batter at No. 3 as it is a critical slot in Test cricket.

“So, you would want to continue with him (Sudharsan) and see where he goes because when you are looking at number 3, a very important batting position in Tests, you need to first prioritise the batting capabilities and not just the skill but also the temperament and also the patience and the ability to bat and be there for longer period of time.”

The 48-year-old also backed Sudharsan, who was benched in the first Test for Axar Patel, to get a longer rope.

“That is why you should look for a purist and specialist (at No. 3) who has only one job to do that. So, if this is what we are hoping from Washington as a batter, fair enough. But it just feels that the last 6 months or 7 months were absolutely futile. We didn’t really gain anything from it.”

“And what message will you give to Sudharsan that you know, we gave you a chance, you scored the runs but now we have a change of heart and we are going in some other direction. Again, that consistency is something that you really want to have,” he said.

Since Gill’s injury, talks have been centred around the need to manage the workload of the Indian skipper, who now plays all the three formats.

But Chopra did not exactly concur with the thought.

“I asked this question to Gautam before the Test match against the West Indies. His point was that if you need workload management, then skip the IPL. If you don’t want to lead because leading the IPL team puts too much pressure, then don’t lead. And while playing for India, if you are fit, you are not mentally fatigued.”

“And as a batter, I can also second the opinion that when you are going through a good form, you really want to maximise. Because you never know when the bad form hits you and where the next one is going to come from.”

“So, if there is no fitness concern per se and if there is no mental burnout concern that is very individual-specific, you stay with them and you play as much as you can, as often as you can,” he signed off.