India captain Rohit Sharma minced no words talking about Cape Town pitch after SA vs IND 2nd Test in 1.5 days. Only 642 deliveries were possible as 33 wickets fell inside 108 overs. However, there was no hue and cry from British and Australian media. Former players and media from England and Australia have always been vocal about Indian pitches. This time, Rohit Sharma gave it back. Rohit said he does not mind playing on such pitches as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India.
“I don’t mind playing on pitches like this as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India & doesn’t complain about Indian pitches. You come here to challenge yourself and when people come to India it is challenging as well,” Rohit Sharma said at the post match press conference.
“Because you come here to challenge yourself. Yes, it is dangerous. It is challenging. So, and when people come to India, it is again pretty challenging as well. Look, when you are here to play Test cricket, we talk about Test cricket, the ultimate prize, Test cricket being the pinnacle and stuff like that. I think it’s important that we also stand by it,” Rohit added in a fiery rant.
With a low and slow Ahmedabad pitch hosting the World Cup Final, ICC gave it a “below average” rating. And for most of Test matches in India, pitches dominate discussions. Australia and England have both struggled in India on spin-friendly pitches.
“World Cup final pitch rated Below Average. I mean a guy scored a hundred. I urge match referees to see what’s there (on the pitch), not the country where it’s played.
“I still can’t believe that the World Cup final was rated below average. A batter got a hundred. How can that be a poor pitch? In India, first day, ‘you talk puff of dust puff of dust’, here there were cracks,” Rohit Sharma added.
Rohit Sharma further added that when teams visit India, they should keep their eyes and ears open and look at the positives on challenging pitches as well.
“So I hope they keep their ears open, they keep their eyes open and look into those aspects of the game. Honestly, I’m all for pitches like this. We want to challenge playing on pitches like this. We pride ourselves playing on pitches like this. Uh, but all I wanna say is be neutral.”
