‘No grass on surface, nets too old’ – Ravichandran Ashwin highlights poor infrastructure in West Indies

India veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin opened up on the poor cricketing infrastructure maintained by the West Indies and highlighted the facilities not being up to mark in the recently concluded two-Test series. 

Notably, team India and the Windies are in the midst of a multi-format series wherein the visitors won the two-Test series 1-0. However, veteran cricketer Ashwin was not too pleased with the facilities of the West Indies Cricket Board and further stressed the deteriorating state of the cricketing quality in the West Indies.

"When it comes to West Indies, see, they are actually coming from different countries/islands like Antigua, Barbados, and they all represent West Indies together. So, if you ask me whether their infrastructure has developed well in all those islands? Actually, no,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

"We played at the Barbados Test Center. While we practiced in the nets, there was no grass left on the surface. Their nets looked too old. I am not saying these things to blame them or anything. I actually feel really bad for them," he added.

The pitches have become slower in West Indies: Ashwin

Ashwin further added that their players will need to put in the hard yards as the pitches are on the slower side which need quite a lot of maintenance. Moreover, he stated that the ground staff has just been cutting the grass and rolling the surface in the name of ‘maintenance’. 

"If the infrastructure is like this in their Test center, then how hard their cricketers should work to get better? Because once they practice under these conditions and suddenly, when they come to India and play on a slightly quicker surface, it will be difficult for them to adjust,” Ashwin stressed.

"The pitches have become slower in West Indies. We should put a lot of effort into pitch maintenance. They are just cutting the grass and rolling it through in the name of pitch maintenance. I have already spoken about this topic. That's the easiest way to prepare a pitch. Because then the pitch will become dead and slow,” he concluded.

Speaking about the series, the Windies took a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. The two sides will square off at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday, August 8, and the home side will be gunning to clinch the series in the third T20I.