Calcutta: India team manager Sunil Subramanian has said the Wanderers wicket was prepared by South Africa and so the hosts must be prepared to resume the game, which was halted on the third day owing to dangerous playing conditions.

Play was stopped late in the final session with South Africa on 17 for one chasing 241.

Asked if India would be willing to continue with the game after repairs had been made to the pitch, he replied: “It could be unfair to one of the sides. We had not asked for this wicket. This is South Africa’s wicket. We’ve come and played here. There is nothing for us to be upset about.

“We have the bowling arsenal to give it back. As I said, it’s not a wicket we prepared. When they come to our country, we prepare the wickets and they should be prepared to play.”

Revealing what transpired during the day, Subramanian said: “The match referee (Andy Pycroft) called me during tea time and said ‘just in case if the wicket were to get dangerous (unfit for play) then captains would be consulted to take the game forward’.

“We held the view that the wicket has been the same for both teams for all three days. And today is the day when the least wickets fell and the strike rates were the highest. We’d like to continue to play,” he said.

It was learnt that Pycroft has had a word with both team managements and play was scheduled to start on time on the fourth day.

Asked if the match referee had deemed the pitch too dangerous to play, the manager replied in the negative.

“No. He said in case if the new ball were to be taken – and the new ball was around 25 overs away at that time – it might behave dangerously. Play was called off because the ball hit Dean Elgar on the helmet. Subsequently the captains were called. Both captains, the match referee and the umpires had a meeting. Play was called off because of that delivery (to Elgar),” he said.

Elgar was hit three times, twice by Bumrah in one over before play was suspended. The ball that hit him on the helmet was actually a short ball and not a length ball that just reared off.

“That’s the view we held too. There has been exaggerated bounce on this wicket but the ball to Elgar was not the one that cut alarmingly. This is what has been happening the last three days. So there was nothing new,” Subramanian said.

“Umpires are the final judges on the fitness of the ground. Regardless of the captain’s views, they take the final call. Of course both the captains will come forward with their views but the final decision lies with the umpires,” he added.

Ajinkya Rahane also echoed the manager’s view and said the wicket was same for both the teams.

“The wicket was definitely challenging, but if you see our openers batted so well. The wicket was similar for both teams. Vijay got 25 runs, and he faced 130-140 balls. It was completely the same for everyone.

“Our approach was that we want to play and win this Test match. When Bhuvi and I were batting, we were not thinking about the wicket. We were just focusing on playing that particular delivery. Yes, the odd ball we got hit on the hand or the glove, but that’s the nature of the wicket… we cannot control that.”

Rahane said the umpire never asked them if they wanted to stop playing.

“No, when me and Virat were batting, and after that when I was batting with Bhuvi, it was completely their decision. We told them we want to continue, we want to play here, and we don’t want to go back. They didn’t ask us.

The India vice-captain said this sort of wicket was expected. “In India when we play on turning tracks, they are called more dangerous. We all knew that when we come to South Africa, we will get wickets like this. Because when we played in India, we prepared turners, so we knew that we’ll get wickets like this when we come here. We have to be prepared to play on these kinds of wickets.

He refrained from commenting on whether South Africa within their rights to dramatise the situation.

“I don’t want to comment on that. But batting against the new ball is challenging. You cannot call it a dangerous wicket though. When Hashim Amla got 60-odd in the first innings, no one was talking about that. Everyone was talking about his innings, and how he played. Unfortunately Elgar got hit on his head, and I hope he’s fine. But I don’t think the wicket is too dangerous.”

Rahane said that the ball that hit Elgar wasn’t unusual.

“I don’t think it was unusual. I think the ball was back of a length, a hard length. As our manager mentioned, it kicked off. Slightly more bounce than usual, but if you see the wicket and see the bounce here, it was completely natural. Even when Bhuvi and I were batting, or Vijay was batting against the new ball, we faced the same. It is not dangerous, it is completely similar for both teams.”

Rahane too got hit on a couple of occasions while batting and the umpires held multiple meetings with him.

“They were just checking on me, that if I’m okay. Because I got hit once on my elbow and my glove. They were telling me I can take my time, and ‘if you want to call the physio, you can call Patrick (Farhart) and take your time. Don’t be in a hurry.’

“But see, as the manager mentioned, this is the wicket they prepared. We also batted, our openers also batted. We struggled a lot, but it is completely similar for both teams so we cannot complain about this wicket. Our aim is to play and win this Test match, and we are looking to play.