The former Indian captain and the opening batter of the side, Sunil Gavaskar, has slammed the double standards of Indian cricket after as many as 15 wickets fell on the second day of the fifth Test of the five-match series in the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
Sunil Gavaskar launched a scathing attack at the critics who always keep on speaking on the pitches of India as a dramatic finish took place on the second day of the Pink New Year’s Test, where batters from both sides found it incredibly difficult to score runs. The old ball was asking as many questions with the swing and seam movement as the new cherry.
The captain of the Indian side, Jasprit Bumrah, for his encounter, won the toss and decided to bat first on a surface that was green and didn’t look to be the proper Sydney surface, which is known for good batting. The visitors, already behind by 2-1 in the series, lost their first four wickets for just 72 runs before getting bundled out for 185 in the first innings.
“The cows could have gone and grazed on it”- Sunil Gavaskar
Australia, batting for just three overs on the opening day, lost their opening batter of the side, Usman Khawaja. The pitch had enough assistance to create chances against the batters and the premier pacer of the tourists, Bumrah, who was already in perfect touch in the series.
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The home side kept on losing wickets in patches on the morning and afternoon session of the second day’s play and were bundled out for just 181 runs in their first innings. Some of the balls, even on the first day, were bouncing high, while a few of the deliveries were dropping down. The former Indian captain, Sunil Gavaskar, expressed his view at the end of the second day’s play.
“If 15 wickets fell (on one day) in India, all hell would have broken loose. We had Glenn McGrath saying he’d never seen so much grass. Did you hear any former India cricketer moan about the pitch?” The Mumbai-born explained on ABC Grandstand Radio.
“When we go out and play cricket, we will toughen it out. And if we are beaten, we are beaten. Overseas, it’s very difficult to beat home teams.” Sunil Gavaskar highlighted.
The renowned commentator also felt that the cows could have gone and grazed on the green surface and he was stunned by the pitch and stated that it wasn’t an ideal pitch for Test matches.
“I did say that when we saw the pitch yesterday, the cows could have gone and grazed on it. This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth and fifth day. Unless there is rain, I don’t see us being here on day four.” Sunil Gavaskar explained.
The former batter of the side blamed the former player of Australia and England side, stressing that the Indian side never complained about the foreign pitches, besides remarking that if the 15 wickets had fallen in a single day in India, there would have been an uproar.
“Former English and Australian cricketers all time talk about the Indian pitches and conditions. We’re not moaners, we’re not whiners. You’ll never find us complaining, but 15 wickets in a day in India, there would be hell.” Sunil Gavaskar sheds light.
The wicket-keeper batter of the blue brigade, Rishabh Pant, smashed the second-fastest Test half-century of the side and drove the side to a 145-run lead with four wickets left.