Former Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has criticized media outlets from SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) countries for consistently targeting the Indian cricket board and curators when spin-friendly pitches are produced for foreign teams touring India. Gavaskar’s comments come in the wake of an eventful first day of the second Test between South Africa and India at Newlands Cricket Ground, where the pitch offered significant assistance to bowlers from both teams, resulting in a total of 23 wickets falling.
The Newlands track, characterized by an uneven grass covering, proved challenging for batsmen on Day 1. India’s Mohammed Siraj took center stage by claiming a career-best 6/15 in just nine overs, supported by Mukesh Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, who secured two wickets each. South Africa was bowled out for a mere 55 runs.
In response, India faced a challenging start with Prithvi Shaw departing for a duck. Although Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill displayed some elegant shots in an attempt to build a partnership, Nandre Burger dismissed Rohit for 39, followed by Gill for 36. Virat Kohli contributed 46 runs, but India faced a collapse, with six players getting out for ducks. India was eventually all-out for 153.
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During South Africa’s third innings in the final session, Jasprit Bumrah and Mukesh Kumar quickly removed three batters, strengthening India’s position. However, former cricketers and experts criticized the Newlands pitch, prompting Sunil Gavaskar to share his perspective.
Gavaskar criticized the media from SENA countries, emphasizing that being a true batter means excelling against both pace and spin. He highlighted footwork as a crucial aspect of playing spin and urged SENA media to change their bias against India’s spinning tracks.
“This is what test cricket is all about. You are going to be tested. And I honestly believe I’ve always believed that if you cannot play on pitches where the ball turns into the batter, you know there is a tendency amongst the SENA country’s media, particularly if you think that you know, if you can’t play on fast, bouncy pitches, you’re not a batter,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
“I’m sorry. You are not a batter if you can’t play the turning pitch because over here for the bouncy pitch, there are two movements here. There for four spinners, where the ball is turning, you’ve got to go down the pitch. You’ve got to use the crease. All the shots can be exhibited,” he added.
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Gavaskar also urged the Indian media to be more assertive in criticizing foreign batters’ struggles against spin in Indian conditions. He expressed disappointment that Indian media often refrain from doing so to maintain good relations with players.
“So that’s you know what? I think, sadly, you know, our media should be actually writing about this. You know, our media should be talking about the fact that you know, but our media is so dependent sometimes not all the time on getting interviews with players, so they do not want to upset anybody. So they will not question the batting ability of some of the overseas guys because of that. But that’s the way,” Sunil Gavaskar concluded.
