India 'caught up in the hype' over Perth pitch, says Glenn McGrath

Aditya Devavrat 13:36 14/12/2018
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  • Legendary Australian pacer Glenn McGrath believes Virat Kohli and India got caught up in the hype surrounding the Perth pitch when selecting their team for the second Test.

    India, who lead the series in Australia 1-0 after winning in Adelaide, have picked four pacers for the Test, opting to replace injured off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin with fast bowler Umesh Yadav.

    The decision was criticised after Australia’s openers put on a century stand after winning the toss, though India’s bowlers fought back in the afternoon session to leave the match evenly poised.

    And McGrath has added his voice to the chorus of critics over India’s selection.

    “They have got caught up in the hype and felt this pitch was going to do everything, bounce, pace, carry, seam,” McGrath told Channel Seven.

    Former England captain Michael Vaughan agreed, saying India “got the team wrong” and Kohli would end up missing having a specialist spinner, while Indian pundit Harsha Bhogle pointed out the oddity of India, with its rich spin tradition, picking an all-pace attack while Australia emphasised the importance of a spinner, picking Nathan Lyon, despite their historical love of pace.

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