Former Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed his frustration amidst the controversy surrounding an alleged 'pitch switch' ahead of the India vs New Zealand semi-final, designed to favor Indian spinners.
Former Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar expressed his frustration amidst the controversy surrounding an alleged 'pitch switch' ahead of the India vs New Zealand semi-final, designed to favor Indian spinners. Reports suggested that the BCCI and the Indian team management, led by coach Rahul Dravid, changed the pitch (No. 7) for the match at the last minute, without ICC permission, to support their spinners.
Despite the reported pitch alteration, Indian spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav faced challenges during the match, grappling with the aggressive batting display by the Kiwi players while defending a target of 398. Despite their struggles, India secured a 70-run victory, advancing to their fourth World Cup final.
Gavaskar, addressing the controversy, stated, "All those morons who have been talking about pitch change, I hope they just shut up, stop taking potshots at India. Stop talking about pitch change. It was for both teams."
The report also hinted at expectations of a slow pitch in Ahmedabad if India reaches the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera. Gavaskar dismissed such speculation, saying, "Stop talking nonsense about pitches, some of them have already started about Ahmedabad pitch especially the 2nd Semi hasn't been completed."
The pitch (No 6) eventually selected for the semifinal was the same one used for the England-South Africa and the India-Sri Lanka games at the Wankhede earlier in the tournament. The ICC clarified that pitch changes are common in a tournament of this duration, and the independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, was aware of the change and saw no reason to believe the pitch wouldn't play well.
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 "Sunil Gavaskar slams India vs New Zealand pitch switch controversy, calls out nonsense…")
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