Tracks in India, for some reason, have always been criticized for producing more turn and bounce as compared to pitches in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries.
Teams getting bowled out in a single day on sub-continent pitches becomes a big talking point as compared to something similar happening on the tracks prepared in the SENA countries.
The Eden Gardens pitch used in the first Test match of the India vs South Africa series came under heavy scrutiny as a total of 26 wickets fell on the first two days. There was a huge hue and cry about spinners foxing the batsmen on the Eden Gardens track. Interestingly, something similar happened in the first Ashes Test. A total of 19 wickets fell on day one, but nobody seemed to bat an eye and it was all credited to good cricketing skills.
Sunil Gavaskar Defends Usman Khawaja’s Remarks On The Perth Pitch
Usman Khawaja has built himself a reputation as someone who likes to call a spade a spade. Khawaja’s recent comments on the Perth pitch did not sit well with Cricket Australia. Despite the International Cricket Council (ICC) rating the Perth pitch as ‘very good’, Khawaja was highly critical of the surface that was produced for the first Test match of the 2025 edition of the Ashes series.
Sunil Gavaskar has now reacted on the matter and has taken a dig at the pitch that was used in the Perth Test. ‘Usman Khawaja called the pitch a ‘piece of shit’, he actually played in the match. Their narrative that a pitch with bounce and danger to life and limb is never bad, but that a pitch where the ball turns and keeps low is a disgrace, is sadly still believed even by the complexed ones in the sub-continent‘, wrote Gavaskar in his column for Sportstar.
Usman Khawaja Clears Fitness Test
There was a lot of suspense around Usman Khawaja and his availability for the second Ashes Test match. It is now being reported that the Southpaw has cleared the fitness Test and he might be available to play the second Test match of the series.