Trust Sunil Gavaskar to be the first to call out the double standards of the Old Powers – as he refers to the cricketing nations of England and Australia. The legendary cricketer has always been vocal when Indian cricket or cricketers have been criticised unnecessarily. Former cricketers of England and Australia and their media often act as the ‘12th man’ whenever they tour India. Often, the pitches in India are their biggest talking point. That is where the problem lies, feels Gavaskar.
After what transpired during India’s recent tour of South Africa, where run-scoring was as difficult as it gets because of pitches heavily loaded in favour of the fast bowlers, India captain Rohit Sharma landed counterpunches at a press conference in Cape Town. Rohit said he doesn’t have any problems when a Test match outside India ends within two days thanks to pitches that offer excessive pace and bounce but the other teams should keep their “mouth shut” when pitches start to turn on Day 1 in India.
The second Test match in Newlands ended in less than five sessions with records tumbling and history books rewritten. At first, 23 wickets on Day 1 of the Test and then it became the shortest Test match (in terms of overs bowled) after the match was finished in 107 overs before Tea on Day 2. India won the match by seven wickets to square the series but the nature of the pitch became a major talking point.
Putting his weight firmly behind the Indian captain, Gavaskar said Rohit was “spot on”. “The Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was spot on when he said after the quick finish in the second Test that he doesn’t mind playing on pitches like the one dished out there as it’s a challenge to play on surfaces different from home,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-Day.
England are slated to tour India for a five-match Test series starting January 25 and Gavaskar expects the pitch to once again grab the headlines. The former India captain said it is a part of their “agenda” to ask questions about pitches in India.
“He (Rohit) also said that please don’t start questioning the pitch when the ball starts turning on Day One in India. Of course, he is asking for the impossible because as we have seen ever since India became a power in the sport and rightfully began to assert itself in the ICC boardrooms, there has been a concerted effort to denigrate it by those from the Old Powers. They arrive with an agenda and come what may, will dish out stories for getting the brownie points at home,” Gavaskar said.
The last time England toured India, the hosts were heavily criticised for the kind of surfaces rolled out, especially from the second Test. Some of the former England cricketers even went to the extent of saying that it was a deliberate ploy of the Indian side to make sure England were unable to compete.
Despite losing the first Test, India made a strong comeback to win the next three Tests and take the four-match series 3-1.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
