Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Ravi Shastri slams Australian media’s pitch criticism forward of Nagpur Test

Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Ravi Shastri lashed out at criticism surrounding the Nagpur pitch for the primary Test between India and Australia. The former India coach mentioned it was extra hype than anything.

Ravi Shastri lashed out at criticism surrounding the Nagpur pitch for the primary Test between India and Australia (Courtesy: AFP)

By India Today Web Desk: Former India coach Ravi Shastri doesn’t mince phrases and he was brutal in his takedown of the Australian criticism of the pitch being readied for the primary Test in Nagpur towards India beginning on February 9.

One Australian journalist known as the Nagpur pitch dodgy, whereas one other report speculated on what India’s techniques with the Nagpur floor had been after solely sure areas on the pitch was watered and others had been left “bone dry”.

A bunch on SEN’s Sportsday reckoned the dry pitch amounted to dishonest and Ravi Shastri, who had coached India to historic Test collection wins in Australia in 2018-19 and 2020-21, shut him down in his inimitable type.

“That is bulls**t! It’s more hype than anything else surrounding this first Test match.,” Ravi Shastri mentioned. “It always happens, you get 15mm grass, 18mm grass or 12mm grass in different places around the ground … at the end of this first Test, I’m sure there’ll be someone who scores a hundred.

“If somebody can get 100 or 80-plus on that pitch, they’ve performed properly and he’ll go and say, ‘What’s incorrect with the pitch? You keep there, you apply your self, your shot choice is sweet, you get runs’.

But when you go on the market and assume you’re going to smash each ball, good luck to you,” Shastri said.

Ravi Shasti said India has never complained about pitches and added that nobody should be allowed to make any excuces.

“If the ball goes to show from there, so be it,” Shastri mentioned. “So what? It’s home conditions, do what suits you, both teams have to play on the surface, there’s a match referee who is the boss, it’s as simple as that.

“We by no means complained about pitches, in my profession we by no means complained a few easy pitch. No excuses, simply get on with it, on the finish of three days nobody’s going to get killed on that floor. The high quality of the digital camera lenses is so good, they will make inexperienced grass look brown, that’s what you anticipate in India, come on,” he said.

The pitch debate around the India-Australia started raging when Ian Healy, the former Australian wicketkeeper, said the tourists will win only if they get fair pitches. His remarks were met with immediate retorts. John Wright, who coached India during the days of Sourav Ganguly’s captaincy, said every host nation is entitled to produce pitches that suit their strengths.

R Ashwin, India’s most potent spinner, said Healy’s comments before the first Test had given the series the spark it needed.

“Anyway, an Australian broadcaster and former participant Ian Healy has given a couple of gems earlier than the BGT.” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “He has given a couple of statements that say ‘India will ensure the Australians really feel uncomfortable in India. I do not imagine that they may give us wickets that can look even barely nearer to what we’ll truly get throughout a sport’. So he has mentioned that Australia’s method is just right. The assist workers may need given their opinion, however Ian Healy’s quote has set a spark with this take. It’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy guys. So we want this spark, proper?”

Ravi Shastri, as India coach, had by no means allowed discuss of pitches and circumstances. In truth, after India whitewashed South Africa at residence in 2019, Shastri had exclaimed: Bhaad mein gaya pitch (To hell with pitches).

In his tenure as India coach, Ravi Shastri oversaw Test victories in England and South Africa earlier than twin collection wins down beneath in Australia. On the 2020-21 tour, India had misplaced all of their frontline bowlers by the point the groups travelled to Brisbane for the series-decider however a younger crew rallied at hand a full-strength Australia a shock defeat at their fortress.

Published On:

Feb 8, 2023