Gavaskar questions global double standards in pitch debates
As the dust settled on England’s humiliating two-day defeat in the Ashes opener at Perth, Sunil Gavaskar reignited a long-standing debate that continues to stir controversy in international cricket — the double standards surrounding pitch scrutiny. With 32 wickets tumbling across just six sessions at Optus Stadium, the former India captain questioned why similar matches on Indian soil draw harsher criticism, while those abroad often escape unscathed.
Writing in his column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar pointed out that while the Eden Gardens track in Kolkata came under fire after India’s recent 2.5-day Test against South Africa — with figures like Michael Vaughan, Anil Kumble, and Cheteshwar Pujara among the critics — the playing surface in Perth drew almost no backlash despite being just as volatile.
“The Perth Test match has ended in less than two days with 32 wickets having fallen, including 19 on the first day, but as yet there’s not a word of criticism about the pitch there. Last year too, 17 wickets fell on Day One at Perth between India and Australia, and I can’t recall a critical word about the pitch, which had more grass on it than usual,” Gavaskar wrote.
He compared the narrative often used to defend Australian pitches with the criticism aimed at Indian ones, particularly those that aid spin. “The same was in Sydney where 15 wickets fell on Day One. The argument, as enumerated by the curator in Perth last year, was ‘this is Perth, Australia, and you will get bounce’. Fine, but then when the pitch affords turn, why can’t it be accepted that this is India, and there will be turn? If you complain about the bounce, then the counter argument is you can’t play fast bowling. Why is there never a counter argument that you can’t play spin bowling when the pitch affords turn in India?”
The underlying issue, he suggests, goes beyond cricketing conditions and into attitudes about the sport itself, particularly how Indian cricket is often held to a different standard. “Is it the old syndrome of mistake being made by their umpires being called human error, while those errors made by sub-continent umpires was cheating? So similarly, is it that the curators there have no agenda, but those in India do? It’s good to see some of our recently retired cricketers asking questions about 19 wickets falling in a day,” Gavaskar noted, in reference to commentary from players like Ravichandran Ashwin and Aakash Chopra.
His message, ultimately, was as sharp as it was direct: “So guys, it’s time to stop pointing fingers at Indian cricket as there are three of the same hand pointing back at you.”
Gavaskar’s remarks come at a time when global cricket discourse is increasingly shaped by perception as much as performance. By calling out the inconsistency in how pitches are judged, he not only defended Indian cricket but also urged the global fraternity to adopt a more balanced and fair-minded approach.
