NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra expressed his views on the pitch conditions following the conclusion of the second Test between India and South Africa in Cape Town, emphasizing the need for an honest evaluation of playing surfaces around the world.
India secured a seven-wicket victory inside two days to level the two-match series 1-1, prompting discussions about the state of pitches in Test cricket.
On his YouTube channel, Chopra concurred with Indian captain Rohit Sharma's statement that pitches globally should be assessed using the same criteria.
"The big question is what is right and what is wrong. Rohit said no one should talk about the pitch and that the match referees should watch properly because if you felt the World Cup final pitch was bad, what sort of pitch was this? He is right," Chopra asserted.
Chopra questioned the notion of justifying extreme conditions, highlighting that neither overly challenging pitches nor two-day turners are conducive to good cricket.
"My thinking is - Is this pitch right? Are the one-and-a-half to two-day-match turners prepared in India right? We are trying to justify one extreme with another. The truth is neither this nor that is right. A bad pitch should be called bad, whether it is ours or someone else's," he added.
1/9:Five shortest Tests in history: India's record-breaking victory
ANI
2/9:India's Historic Victory
India's victory in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town broke many records, most notably becoming the shortest completed Test match in the history of the game, lasting just 642 balls.PTI
3/9:1. Shortest Match in Test Cricket
The match at Newlands was the 2,522nd Test to be played since England met Australia in Melbourne in 1877. It was also the shortest.PTI
4/9:2. Previous Shortest Test Match
South Africa were also participants in the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1932 that previously held the record as they were dismissed for a combined total of 81 across their two innings.Getty Images
5/9:3. Bridgetown Test in 1935
England secured a four-wicket win over the West Indies in January 1935 in Bridgetown in a slightly bizarre game where both sides made tactical declarations to try and make the most of the bowler-friendly conditions.Agencies
6/9:4. Old Trafford Test in 1888
WG Grace top-scored with 38 as England caught Australia on a sticky track at Old Trafford to claim an innings victory in the 1888 Ashes.Agencies
7/9:5. Lord's Test in 1888
Just six weeks earlier the boot was on the other foot as Australia beat England by 61 runs at Lord's, 27 wickets falling on the second day, which remains a record for most wickets in a single day's Test cricket.Getty Images
8/9:Record-breaking Day 1 in Cape Town
Twenty-three wickets fell on the opening day as South Africa, who elected to bat first, were shot out before lunch for just 55. India were then dismissed for 153, losing their last six wickets for zero runs.PTI
9/9:Aiden Markram' Brilliant Century
The Proteas fared marginally better in the second dig with Aiden Markram scoring a brilliant century. But India knocked off the runs for a seven-wicket win, the match lasting just 107 overs.AFPThe former right-hand batter stressed that the current trend of extreme pitch conditions, whether in Cape Town, Wanderers, Perth, Ahmedabad, Indore, or Delhi, does not contribute to the essence of Test cricket.
Chopra believes that these pitches, rather than providing a challenging contest between bat and ball, rely on luck.
Chopra expressed concern about the declining excitement in Test cricket, pointing to instances such as South Africa sending a second-string team to New Zealand and Pakistan resting Shaheen Shah Afridi in the final Test against Australia.
He emphasized that without good pitches, the interest in Test cricket is likely to diminish further, calling for a balanced and fair approach to pitch preparation worldwide.
(With inputs from ANI)
