Ahmedabad: The narrative and questions of skipper Vira Kohli's pre-match press conference was identical to that of India's win over England on a rank turner at Motera.
After getting humiliated by 227 runs in the tournament opener, India made a remarkable comeback in the series by winning two back to back Test match. However, more than India's turn around, it was the surface that hogged the limelight.
Virat Kohli-led outfit annihilated England in just two days in pink-ball Test ten by wickets and before that India had stunned England by 317 runs in another spin dominated pitch in Chennai.
And on Thursday, when Indian skipper Virat was asked the same question during his press-conference ahead of the fourth Test, the dashing batsman hit out at the criticism of spinning pitches, saying there is "too much noise about spinning tracks".
Read: EXCLUSIVE: Pitches at Motera, Chennai are like fields to grow vegetables, says Karsan Ghavri
On being asked what must be done to ensure that Test matches don't end in two-three days, Kohli shot back and questioned "Do you play the game to win it or to make sure it goes to five days and there is entertainment?"
Kohli also defended India's strategy to produce rank-turner, saying that "there is always too much noise and too much conversation about spin tacks."
"I am sure if our media is in a space to contradict those views or present views which say that it is unfair to criticise only spin tracks, then it will be a balanced conversation."
Kohli, at the end of the third Test, had blamed the batsmen's technique for their failure on the Motera track.
"But the unfortunate bit is everyone plays along with that narrative (spinning tracks) and keeps making it news till the time it is relevant. And then a Test match happens, if you win on day 4 or 5, no one says anything but if it finishes in two days, everyone pounces on the same issue," he said.
When asked what he thought were the skills required to survive on such challenging spin tracks, Kohli emphasised on having a solid defence, which, he believes, is not the strongest anymore thanks to shorter formats.
Read: 'THE MATCH': With Lord's in sight, India ready to cook England's goose
"Defence is imperative. Because of influence of white-ball cricket, Test cricket is witnessing consistent results but it is just a by-product in reference to batting that the defence part of the batting is being compromised," he said.
"That grind of playing four-five sessions is not the focus these days and everybody wants to put on 300-350 runs on the board quickly. Probably people are not focussing on defence, they have to switch to other formats, so the game is fast paced.
"So definitely the skill is required and it's not just the sweep shot. For me it's defence. This aspect of batting has gone back a bit."
Kohli cited one of India's losses in New Zealand when the team struggled on a seaming pitch. He recalled how it was the batsmen's technique, and not the track, that came in for scrutiny.
