Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has criticized SENA countries for their hypocrisy regarding pitches. Gavaskar pointed out the double standard of SENA media and predicted that English media will whinge if they don’t get the expected outcome in the IND vs ENG Test series.
The former opener’s criticism came after the pitch at Newlands for the IND vs SA 2nd Test behaved poorly, and the match proved to be the shortest Test match in cricket’s 147-year history.
Gavaskar, in his column for Mid-Day, bashed the double standards of SENA countries for taking aim at Indian pitches for spinning but staying mum about misbehaving decks in their backyards.
“These kind of excuses that the curator got it wrong is typical of the SENA countries,” Gavaskar wrote.
Citing the example of Australian skipper Pat Cummins labeling Indian curators as ‘cheats’, Gavaskar added:
“When our curators make a dry pitch, then it’s ‘chicanery’, as a former Australian skipper said last year after the Aussies had been walloped in the first two Test matches. So our groundsmen do it deliberately, but their groundsmen just get it wrong. It’s like before the third country umpires came in, where decisions by their umpires were excused as ‘human error’ while our umpires were cheats and ‘Delhi Butchers’ and all such derogatory headlines.”
Sunil Gavaskar calls out the English media before the start of the IND vs ENG Test series
Gavaskar especially aimed at the English media, claiming they cry foul every time something goes wrong for them. With the IND vs ENG Test series starting on January 25, the former Indian great might have given us a sneak peek of what is about to happen.
“In about three weeks time, another Test series starts with a country that has the biggest whingeing and moaning media in sport. Anything that doesn’t suit their team will be criticised and allegations will fly thick and fast.”