The legendary cricketer and former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar slammed International Cricket Council (ICC) for penalising Indore's pitch and giving it three demerit points. On Friday (March 4), Australia bulldozed India by nine wickets in the third Test in two days and a little over an hour on a rank turner pitch which as per ICC provided undue adavantage for spinners. Notably, 14 wickets fell during Day 1. A total of 31 wickets fell during the third Test match, out of which 26 were snared by the spinners while just four wickets were taken by pacers as one was run out.
“One thing I would like to know. There was a Test match in November in Brisbane, Gabba. The match finished within two days there and who was the match referee there and how many demerit points did the pitch get there? I think three demerit points is a bit harsh. On this pitch the ball did turn but it wasn't dangerous. Australia got to 77/1. The pitch got better with time. India did collapse initially but they had the partnership between Usman Khawaja and Labuschagne of 96 runs and you cannot get that partnership if the pitch is unplayable. Things should not be left on individual to decide that three demerit points will be deducted, that’s the reason why I want to know, how many demerit points were given to the Gabba pitch,” Gavaskar told Sports Tak in an exclusive interview.
“I think there has to be a little more thought on that. This pitch has backfired in 2012-13 when Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar spun England to a win. I don’t think it’s a great idea to have pitches of this quality,” he added.
After succumbing to Australian spinners in both the innings, India gave Australia a paltry 76-run target which the visitors chased down without breaking a sweat.
Gavaskar also suggested that the ideal surface for a Test match must be good for batting and bowling on the first two days, and then from day three onwards it should be assisting the spinners – not like how it was here in Indore where it was turning square from the ball one.
“You want to have pitches where there is a good balance between bat and ball. You want to have a pitch where for the first couple of days, the new-ball bowlers can get some help and the batters can play through the line and score runs. And then from Day 3 and 4, the ball is going to turn a little bit. I don’t know what’s going to happen in Ahmedabad. If the pitch in Ahmedabad is a raging turner, then India might go on to win but once again the pitch might get demerit points. I don’t think the ability has gone down. Yes, today with the advent of white-ball game, to be able to play the lofted shot with certainty, even on a pitch like this, they do play the lofted shot,” the cricket great said.
India skiper Rohit Sharma also came out to the press and said that it was a one-off Test for India and the inability to adapt to conditions and not the pitch led to their defeat within three days in Indore.
Meanwhile, Gavaskar also defended Indian batters and said,"So when you see Rohit Sharma get a 120 on a pitch where the ball is turning square, you know the current guys can also play. When you see a Cheteshwar Pujara get a half-century the other day on the pitch, you know these cricketers can also play. Yes, you might argue that Pujara doesn’t play white-ball cricket. But, it will be unfair to say that today’s cricketers are not able to play in pitches. They do play with a lot harder hands than the previous generations. No, I don’t think that argument is valid."
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