Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has launched a scathing attack on a section of the English media for their persistent criticism of Indian pitches prior to a Test series. Gavaskar, while commentating on the first day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, labeled the English media as “moaners” and “crybabies” for their incessant complaints about Indian pitches that provide spin.
Gavaskar’s outburst came in the wake of the English media’s criticism of the Chepauk pitch during the first Test between India and England earlier this year. The English media had labeled the pitch as “unfair” and “unplayable,” despite India’s victory in the match.
Gavaskar, however, defended the Chepauk pitch, saying that it was a “good cricket pitch” that provided a fair contest between bat and ball. He also pointed out that Indian batsmen had scored runs on the pitch, including Ashwin’s century in the first Test.
“He (Ashwin) actually said in the press conference that you can get a hundred if you apply yourself. So he walked the talk when the moaners were going on saying ‘you can’t bat here’. Saying and doing all the things like crybabies, typical English media stuff, where they only talk about Indian pitches,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar’s comments have sparked a debate on the role of the media in cricket. Some have argued that the media has a right to criticize pitches that they believe are unfair, while others have accused the media of bias against India.
The debate is likely to continue in the lead-up to the upcoming Test series between India and England. The English media has already begun to criticize the pitches that have been prepared for the series, but Gavaskar has warned them that they should be prepared for a backlash from the Indian team.
