Team India might not have tasted their best result in England but they made sure to get the job done at home against Windies as they comprehensively thrash Windies by an innings and 272 runs to seal 1-0 lead in the two-match Test series. The recent win at Rajkot is India’s biggest ever win in Test cricket history.
However, during the first three days of the first Rajkot Test at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, the searing temperature rose up to 40 degrees Celsius and the players of both teams had drinks under the observation of the on-field umpires.
But the Indian skipper Virat Kohli was not really pleased with the new rules revised by the International Cricket Council. After the match, the skipper was of the opinion that the match officials should look into the new rules of the ICC’s Water Brake.
As per the new rules by the ICC that came into effect on September 30, water breaks are allowed only at the fall of a wicket or in-between overs. “That was a bit to do with the umpires pushing us as well, with these new rules coming in of not drinking too much water,” frustrated Kohli expressed his opinion after the game.
“These things should be considered according to the conditions we play in. The guys really struggled in this game because of those few changes,” Kohli said. “It was quite difficult for the guys not to drink water for close to 40-45 minutes while batting and on the field as well. I’m sure they’ll look into this,” he added.
“We wanted to have the extra guy because of the heat factor,” Kohli said. “Four bowlers would have struggled in these conditions and we just wanted to give them bit more breaks in between and still have quality bowling coming at the opposition,” he concluded.
The second match between India and Windies is scheduled to be played at the Rajiv Gandhi Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad on October 12. It’s been 24 years since Windies last bagged a Test win against India. The last win came back in the year 1994 when Jimmy Adams’ lethal 178* and 78* helped his side snatch a staggering 243-run win over India in Mohali. Can Windies bounce back in the second Test? Only time will tell the true story.
