India Will Not Give Excuses About Pitch And Conditions: Ravi Shastri

With the gruelling five-match Test series scheduled to begin from August 1 at Edgbaston, India cricket coach Ravi Shastri on Wednesday asserted that the current team would never make tough conditions an excuse for its performances. India's only warm-up game ahead of the Test series was curtailed to three days due to weather conditions as reports came in that the team not happy with pitch and outfield at the Essex county ground. Clarifying on the complaints, Shastri stated that his team would never give excuses regarding ground conditions or the pitch and searing heat along with logistics were the factors for curtailing the warm-up match to three days.

"My philosophy is very simple - (in) your country, I don't ask questions. (In) my country, you don't ask. There was good grass on that (pitch). The groundsmen asked if we wanted the grass to be taken off. I said 'absolutely not'. (It is) your prerogative. You give (the wicket), we play, so when you come to my country you can never ask (about pitches)," Shastri said during a media conference.

"The game was reduced from four days to three because of the logistics and the weather prevailing. We had an opportunity to practice three days in Birmingham, which is the Test match venue. If we had played four days here we would have lost that one day there because of travel. As simple as that because the prerogative whether to play a two-day, three-day or four-day game lies entirely with the travelling team," Shastri elaborated.

He said the decision to shorten the game was made during practice on Tuesday so that the team was able to get extra session and familiarity with the venue.

"The basic idea was to have a session at Edgbaston on Sunday. And travel on Saturday, to be able to practice on Sunday. The reason is to get to the Test match venue because it wouldn't have served any purpose with an extra day here. An extra day there will give us more familiarity with the venue and the conditions where you are playing the first Test," said Shastri.

(With PTI inputs)