Follow UsFormer India captain Sunil Gavaskar is not pleased with the hypocrisy when it comes to evaluating pitches in India and the rest of the world. This comes after the first Ashes Test between Australia and England ended in just two days, with as many as 32 wickets falling.
Moreover, 200 was breached just once, when Australia chased down 205 to win the match. Gavaskar pointed out that there weren't as many critics about the pitch in Perth, compared to the one at Eden Gardens, where the spinners dominated.
“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 on 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 counterargument is you can’t play fast bowling. Why is there never a counterargument that you can’t play spin bowling when the pitch affords turn in India?” he added.
Gavaskar further added that the world should stop pointing fingers at Indian cricket and put an end to such double standards.
“Is it the old syndrome of mistakes 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,” he wrote.
“So, guys, it’s time to stop pointing fingers at Indian cricket as there are three of the same hand pointing back at you,” he added.