Indian skipper Rohit Sharma lashed out at critics of Indian pitches after the Newlands Test, which ended in one and a half days with 33 wickets falling and India levelling the series 1-1 against South Africa.
The Newlands pitch offered extra bounce for seamers from the first over, which only got worse by the cracks. Mohammed Siraj ran riot in the first innings to bowl South Africa out for just 55, their lowest Test total in almost a century.
“I don’t mind being on pitches like this as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and no-one is talking about the pitches there,” Rohit said after the match. “Yes it is dangerous, but you come here (South Africa) to challenge yourself and you must face up to it,” he added.
Sharma called out the match referees and pointed out there’s inconsistency in the way pitches are rated in different countries.
“In India, when it turns on day one, people say ‘Oh, there is a puff of dust’. We need to stay neutral, especially match referees. I would love to see how the pitches are rated. I still can’t believe the World Cup final pitch was rated below standard. A player got a hundred there. They must rate pitches based on what they see, not based on countries,” he said.
“We know pitches in India will spin but people don’t like it because it turns from ball one. But if it seams from ball one, that is OK? That is not fair,” he added.
This is the shortest Test match ever in terms of overs bowled, bettering the previous best between Australia and South Africa at the MCG in 1932. A total of 106.2 overs were bowled in the match.
The Newlands Test was the shortest Test match ever in terms of overs bowled, bettering the previous best between Australia and South Africa at the MCG in 1932. A total of 106.2 overs were bowled in the match.