(Cricket News) “I mean, we saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played and stuff like that,” Rohit Sharma said. “I honestly do not mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and does not talk too much about Indian pitches, honestly.”
Rohit was critical of the ICC and the match referees for what he sees as double standards at rating pitches. After winning the shortest Test in the history of the game, thanks to a lottery pitch loaded too heavily in favor of the seam bowlers.
“Look, when you come here to play Test cricket, we talk about Test cricket as the ultimate prize, Test cricket is the pinnacle and stuff like that. I think it is important that we also stand by that. That is what happens in India.
When you are put up against, a challenge like that, you come and face it. That is what happens in India. However, on day one, if the pitch starts turning, people start talking about ‘Puff of dust! A puff of dust!’ There is so much crack here on the pitch. People are not looking at that.”
“I think it is important that we stay neutral everywhere we go,” Rohit said, highlighting the match referees and some of the ratings pitches received during the World Cup in India last year. “You know, some of these match referees need to keep an eye on how they rate pitches. It is quite important.”
“Honestly, I am all for pitches like this. We want to challenge playing on pitches like this. We pride ourselves on playing on pitches like this. Uh, but all I want to say is be neutral. I still cannot believe that the World Cup final pitch was rated below average [it was rated average]. A batsman got a hundred there in the final.
How can that be a poor pitch? So, these are the things the ICC, the match referees, need to look into and start rating pitches based on what they see, not based on the countries. I think that is quite important.”
That is what Rohit railed against, asking why a pitch that turns on a day is considered inferior to one that seams. “Honestly, I would like to see how the pitches are rated,” Rohit said. “I want to see that.
Whatever… that chart, I would love to see, how they rate the pitches, because Mumbai, Bangalore, Cape Town, and Centurion, are all different venues, overhead conditions are different. The pitches deteriorate quite fast when the sun is beating down that hard on the pitch.” This was the conclusion of the two-Test series that just concluded.
The point is that if the ball seams from ball one, that is okay, right, for everyone? That is not fair. If the ball starts spinning from ball one, it should be okay, in my opinion. The conditions in India, on the other hand, are known to spin without a doubt, but obviously people do not like it because it spins from day one.
“If not, you remain neutral and begin rating these types of pitches negatively. In my view, it is completely incorrect to want the ball to seam rather than turn. I will not alter my judgment or opinion because I have seen enough cricket and understand how match referees and the ICC handle these ratings; I have no problem with their methodology. However, I will remain impartial toward everything you do.”
See more: India’s Victory: Defeating South Africa by 7 Wickets in the Shortest Test Match Ever
