“We wanted to win in two and a half days” – Harbhajan Singh blames India’s Test pitches for batters’ spin woes

Former Indian veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh has slammed India’s pitches for batter’s ordinary performances against the spinners. India recently lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka as the team’s middle order could not tackle the home side’s spinners.

Singh recalled that India’s Test team management wanted to win Test matches in two and a half days, leading to the batters’ downfall against the spinners.

Harbhajan Singh said on Sports Tak, “We’ve started playing on pitches that turn a lot more. We wanted to win and we did win but we wanted to win in two and a half days. I think, if we had produced normal pitches that started to turn from Day 3 and Day 4, we still would have won but the batters would have gotten time to settle in. And we wouldn’t be discussing the problems of our batters against spinners.

​​”We dented the confidence of our batters because anybody get out (cheaply) on those pitches,” the 44-year-old went on to add.

The Turbanator added that if India plays on good pitches, then nobody can beat the Rohit Sharma-led team.

“If we play on good pitches, I don’t think anyone can beat India. The pacers that India have, the spin attack that there is, they would definitely win you Tests on Day 5 if not on Day 3. But if you play on good pitches, the batters will score runs, and their confidence will only go up when they score runs,” the Turbanator explained.

“I don’t think our batters have forgotten to play spin but the conditions have been such (in the last few years) that it has become almost impossible,” he concluded.

India will take on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series in home conditions.