‘Keep mouth shut when come to India’ – India skipper Rohit Sharma makes bold statement about double standards on pitch ratings
Rohit Sharma (Source: Twitter)
India skipper Rohit Sharma has strongly criticised the Apex Cricket Council and match referees over pitch ratings. Rohit accused them of having double standards when it comes to rating pitches. Following India’s victory in the shortest Test match in history, Rohit expressed his discontent with the criticism against Indian pitches. He emphasised his willingness to play on challenging pitches but called for neutrality in evaluating them.
“I mean, we saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played, and stuff like that,” Rohit stated. “I honestly don’t mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and doesn’t talk too much about Indian pitches.
“Because you come here to challenge yourself. Yes, it is dangerous. It is challenging. So, when people come to India, it is again pretty challenging as well. Look, when you are here to play Test cricket, we talk about Test cricket, the ultimate prize, Test cricket being the pinnacle, and stuff like that. I think it’s important that we also stand by it.”
“When you are put up against a challenge like that, you come and face it. That’s what happens in India, but, in India on day one, if the pitch starts turning, people start talking about ‘Puff of dust! A puff of dust!’ There’s so much cracking here on the pitch. People are not looking at that.”
“They keep their eyes open,” Skipper Rohit Sharma says in a massive statement
Rohit Sharma further singled out match referees and questioned the ratings given to pitches during the previous year’s World Cup in India. He called for neutrality in pitch evaluations, urging the Apex Cricket Council and match referees to base their ratings on actual observations rather than biases tied to specific countries.
“Honestly, I would like to see how the pitches are rated,” Rohit emphasized, expressing his curiosity about the rating process. He also called for fairness in evaluating pitches across different venues and conditions, emphasising the need for neutrality in ratings. He said, “I think it’s important that we stay neutral everywhere we go. Especially the match referees. You know, some of these match referees need to keep an eye on how they rate pitches. It’s quite important.”
“I still can’t believe that the World Cup final pitch was rated below average. A batsman got a hundred there in the final. How can that be a poor pitch? So these are the things the Apex Cricket Council, the match referees, need to look into and start rating pitches based on what they see, not based on the countries. I think that’s quite important.
“So I hope they keep their ears open, their eyes open, and look into those aspects of the game. Honestly, I’m 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.”
However, it’s worth noting that this game became the shortest completed test match in history, which concluded in just 642 balls or 107 overs. It broke the nine-decade-old record of the Australia vs. South Africa Test match at Melbourne in 1935. That game was concluded with 656 balls or 109.2 overs. Meanwhile, India is now set to face England in a five-match Test series starting on January 25.
