Sunil Gavaskar strongly criticized the SENA media for their complaints about the turning pitches in India following the intense showdown between India and South Africa on December 3 at Newlands Test.
The match witnessed a staggering 23 wickets falling as both teams engaged in a thrilling battle. Opting to bat first, the hosts were dismissed for a mere 55 runs, marking their lowest score since their return to Test cricket. The credit for South Africa's collapse goes to Mohammed Siraj, who delivered an exceptional performance, claiming a career-best 6-15.
India responded strongly, with Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill laying a solid foundation. Virat Kohli also made a fluent contribution of 46 runs. However, the Indian innings took a sudden nosedive, going from 153/4 to 153 all out, as they lost six wickets without adding a single run to the scoreboard. This dramatic collapse was highlighted by seamer Lungi Ngidi's impressive spell, where he took three wickets in a single over, taking advantage of the extra bounce off the pitch.
The free fall of wickets on day one has sparked divided opinions among fans and pundits. Surprisingly, Gavaskar had no complaints about the track, as he expressed during an interview with Star Sports. The Indian cricket legend then questioned why the SENA media had complaints about turning pitches.
Gavaskar emphasized that a batter's true skill is tested when they can perform well on rank turners, as it allows them to showcase all the shots in their arsenal.
"This is what test cricket is all about. You are going to be tested. And I honestly believe I've always believed that if you cannot play on pitches where the ball turns into the batter, you know there is a tendency amongst the SENA country's media, particularly if you think that you know, if you can't play on fast, bouncy pitches, you're not a batter."
"I'm sorry. You are not a batter if you can't play the turning pitch because over here for the bouncy pitch, there are two movements here. There for four spinners, where the ball is turning, you've got to go down the pitch. You've got to use the crease. All the shots can be exhibited."
"So that's you know what? I think, sadly, you know, our media should be actually writing about this. You know, our media should be talking about the fact that you know, but our media is so dependent sometimes not all the time on getting interviews with players, so they do not want to upset anybody. So they will not question the batting ability of some of the overseas guys because of that. But that's the way," said Gavaskar.
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