Sunil Gavaskar loses patience on Australia Vs India pitch debate [PC: AFP]Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar blasted pitch critics after the Australia vs Bangladesh second Test at Mackay ended in just two days. He called out the hypocrisy in how pitches are judged in India and overseas.The pitch debate in red-ball cricket is nothing new. While subcontinent nations prefer spin-friendly pitches, SENA countries like to offer lush green surfaces to aid fast bowling. However, when it comes to criticism of these pitches, there is a clear bias which irked former legend Sunil Gavaskar.Sunil Gavaskar reignites pitch debate after AUS-BAN TestThe recent Test match between Australia and Bangladesh held at the newly inaugurated Mackay Stadium ended in just two days with the hosts winning by an innings and 51 runs.Reacting to the results, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar questioned what he sees as a long-standing double standard in how pitches are judged in India and overseas.In his column with Sportstar, Gavaskar said that when a Test in India finishes unusually early, the immediate conversation often centres on the pitch being excessively spin-friendly, with criticism extending to the BCCI and Indian cricket. “If a game finishes in 3 days in India, there’ll be all kinds of derogatory reports and insinuations made about the pitches, BCCI and Indian cricket. The hypocrisy is so brazen that it is simply mind-boggling,” Sunny Gavaskar said.But when a Test in Australia ends in two or three days because of pace, bounce and seam movement, he believes the narrative is different. That is why he calls the situation "brazen" hypocrisy. “The usual excuse of ineptitude against fast bowling will be brought out. Nobody says the same when the overseas batters can’t play the spinning ball. Then there’s no lack of ability but hidden devils in the pitch,” he added.Also Read - ICC Verdict On Mackay Pitch Leaked After Australia Demolish Bangladesh In 2 DaysWhy did Gavaskar lash out?Interestingly, Sunil Gavaskar’s outburst came after Australia beat Bangladesh in the second Test at Mackay, which ended in just 125 overs. The visitors got bowled out for 64 and 95 while the Aussies scored 210 in the second innings.The fast bowlers had a field day as Mitchell Starc picked a 6 and 4-wicket-haul, Shoriful Islam managed to get 7 wickets, and even Pat Cummins got a 3-wicket-haul.And this is not an isolated case. The recent Lord’s Test between England and New Zealand was also recorded as the second shortest Test at the iconic venue as it ended in 167 overs. Hence, countries like Australia and England have repeatedly produced pace-friendly wickets which hampered the fairness of the game, yet the criticism around the pitches was too little.ICC’s pitch ratings are inconsistentHaving said that, it's ICC’s job to judge whether a pitch at a given venue is fair to both sides. However, their recent ratings have been highly inconsistent. For example, ICC rated the Lord’s pitch for the England-New Zealand game as ‘unsatisfactory.’But on the other hand, the Mackay pitch is likely to be rated ‘very good.’ Despite the duration of the Australia-Bangladesh Test being much shorter compared to the England-New Zealand game, ICC feels the results at Mackay were merely a skill issue.Also Read - Babar Azam Does Batting Before 2nd Test
