'Hope I can say there wasn't skulduggery in Indore': AUS legend blasts Gavaskar's 'Gabba' reminder on ICC's pitch rating
Gavaskar gave ICC a brutal reminder of the Gabba pitch where the match between Australia and South Africa had finished withing two days. But an Aussie legend begged to differ from the India legend as he gave a befitting reply on his remark.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was unhappy with ICC's verdict on Indore pitch, which was rated ‘poor’ after the third match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series ended within three days. Gavaskar gave ICC a brutal reminder of the Gabba pitch where the match between Australia and South Africa had finished withing two days. But Aussie legend Mark Taylor begs to differ from the India legend as he gave a befitting reply on his remark.
30 wickets fell in the first two days of the Tests with spinners picking 25 of those dismissals on what was a raging turner. India. who were ahead in the series by 2-0, have now conceded the Indore match as Australia won by nine wickets.
After the match, ICC rated the Indore track as “poor” and handed three demerit points. Gavaskar, in conversation with India Today, was left furious at the verdict as he said: “One thing I would like to know, there was this Test match in November in Brisbane Gabba, where the match finished in 2 days. How many demerit points did that pitch get and who was the match referee there? I think 3 demerit points is a little harsh, because, in this pitch, yes the ball turned, but it was not dangerous. When Australia get to a score of 77 for the loss of one wicket it actually tells you that the pitch got a lot better.”
Taylor, who was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald, had a contrasting thought as he said that unlike the Indore track the Gabba pitch helped both the sides. He then accused India of “skulduggery” with the pitches in the series.
"I think they've got to keep an eye on that sort of stuff because people look at the Gabba this season. The groundsman there just got it wrong," the former Australian captain said.
"He left too much grass on it but, in a way, it didn't favour either side. It would have favoured the South African seamers just as much (as Australia) because they've got four very good seamers.
"So I don't think there was any skulduggery going on at the Gabba. I think with Indore, I hope I can say the same thing there, but what happened there, the pitch was so poorly prepared it actually made the game a bit more of a lottery, which didn't favour India at all," Taylor said.
"It probably brought Australia's spin bowlers into the game a lot more than they (India) thought it was going to."
