Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar called out the double standards surrounding the pitch debate after the first Ashes Test got concluded in just two days. Notably, there was a lot of criticism around the Eden Gardens pitch after the first Test between India and South Africa finished in 2.5 days. Many former cricketers felt that India need to make better Test pitches, but didn't have anything to say about the Perth track.
Gavaskar compares Indian pitches to overseas tracks
Gavaskar pointed out the double standards and recalled how 17 wickets fell on the opening day of the Perth Test between India and Australia last year while 15 fell on the first day of the Sydney Test, however there wasn't a word said about the Australian surfaces. He further stated that just like the Eden Gardens pitch, the tracks in Australia aren't suitable for batting either, but still there was no criticism around them.
“The Perth Test match has ended in less than two days with 32 wickets having fallen, including 19 on the first day, but as yet there’s not a word of criticism about the pitch there. Last year too, 17 wickets fell on Day One at Perth between India and Australia, and I can’t recall a critical word about the pitch, which had more grass on it than usual." Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
“The same was in Sydney where 15 wickets fell on Day One. The argument, as enumerated by the curator in Perth last year, was ‘this is Perth, Australia, and you will get bounce’. Fine, but then when the pitch affords turn, why can’t it be accepted that this is India, and there will be turn? If you complain about the bounce, then the counter argument is you can’t play fast bowling. Why is there never a counter argument that you can’t play spin bowling when the pitch affords turn in India?” he added.
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Gavaskar further went on to say that there is no reason why fingers should be pointed at Indian cricket for the pitches as the overseas tracks aren't any better either. He also praised the former India cricketers, who raised questions on the Perth pitch where 19 wickets fel in a day.
“Is it the old syndrome of mistake being made by their umpires being called human error, while those errors made by sub-continent umpires was cheating? So similarly, is it that the curators there have no agenda, but those in India do? It’s good to see some of our recently retired cricketers asking questions about 19 wickets falling in a day. So guys, it’s time to stop pointing fingers at Indian cricket as there are three of the same hand pointing back at you," Gavaskar further wrote.
South Africa on top in 2nd Test
Meanwhile, the second Test between India and South Africa has so far been dominated by the latter. Temba Bavuma & Co. batted for almost two days and posted a huge first-inning total of 489 before restricting the hosts down to 174/7 by the end of the second session on Day 3.