NEW DELHI: Legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar launched a scathing attack on the critics who always question Indian pitches following a dramatic second day of the fifth Test at the SCG where 15 wickets tumbled.
“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?” said Gavaskar on ABC Grandstand Radio after day two’s play ended.
“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.
“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.”
Gavaskar also lambasted former Australian and English players, stressing that Indians never complain about foreign pitches. He remarked that if 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 whingers. You’ll never find us complaining, but 15 wickets in a day in India, there would be hell”, Gavaskar said.
An explosive Rishabh Pant slammed the second-fastest Indian Test half-century to drive the visitors to a 145-run lead with four wickets left.
At the close in Sydney, India were 141/6 with Ravindra Jadeja on eight and Washington Sundar six after they dismissed Australia for 181 in reply to their first-innings 185.
