IND vs ENG: Sunil Gavaskar Launches Scathing Attack On The Double Standards In Pitch Criticism

Former Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has fired shots at the double standards being shown towards pitch criticism in India and in SENA countries. The India vs South Africa Test at the Newlands in Cape Town grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons. It was the shortest Test match ever to produce a result. The SENA pitches are receiving the taste of their own medicine after former Indian players started criticizing the pitches in South Africa.

South Africa won the toss and chose to bat first but their decision backfired as India bowled them out for a meagre 55 in the first innings. India then lost six wickets without adding a run to the 153 total. Aiden Markaram showed intent to bat in the second innings and he scored a magnificent ton but South Africa was still all out for 176. India easily chased the 79-run target with seven wickets to spare.

The Newlands’ pitch came under significant scrutiny, and rightfully so, as the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince criticized the Cape Town surface in the press conferences. Rohit Sharma did not particularly criticize the pitch but was more vocal about the criticism that the subcontinent pitches receive for being rank turners.

Rohit Sharma highlighted the double standards in criticism between the pitches in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia) nations and the subcontinent tracks. The Indian captain mentioned that seaming pitches from Day 1 are acceptable, but turning surfaces in the subcontinent draw criticism. He particularly mentioned, “I don’t have a problem playing in this kind of pitches as far as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India.”

Rohit Sharma’s comments highlighting the hypocrisy of SENA nations attracted a lot of engagement on social media. It has been more than a decade since a SENA nation won a Test series in India and every time, they make the same excuse which is to criticise the Indian pitches. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar joins the debate with his scathing column about the double standards of SENA nations.

Sunil Gavaskar Criticises SENA Countries In His Column

“These kinds of excuses that the curator got it wrong is typical of the SENA countries,” Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day. Referring to India’s four-match Test series against Australia last year, the former India batter said, “When our curators make a dry pitch then it’s ‘chicanery’, as a former Australian skipper said last year after the Aussies had been walloped in the first two Test matches,” added Sunil Gavaskar.

“So our groundsmen do it deliberately, but their groundsmen just get it wrong. It’s like before the third country umpires came in, where decisions by their umpires were excused as ‘human error’ while our umpires were cheats and ‘Delhi Butchers’ and all such derogatory headlines.”

Sunil Gavaskar also launched a scathing attack on the English media for their coverage of the overseas tour in his column ahead of the India vs England Test series. “In about three weeks another Test series starts with a country that has the biggest whingeing and moaning media in sport. Anything that doesn’t suit their team will be criticized and allegations will fly thick and fast,” wrote Sunil Gavaskar.

India and England will play a five-match Test series commencing on January 25 with the first Test to be played in Hyderabad. The other four venues for the Tests are Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala. India is currently second on the WTC Points table and they will be hoping to get the top spot back after the England series. England was the last overseas team to win a Test series in India and they will be hoping to recreate the history by beating India again on their home turf.