Rohit Sharma was livid at the news conference on Thursday.
The India captain clearly stated that he “doesn’t mind” playing on pitches like the one in Cape Town, where the match got over in less than two days, but wants the critics of Indian pitches to keep shut.
“We all saw what happened in this Test match and how the pitch played. I honestly don’t mind playing on pitches like these as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and don’t talk about Indian pitches,” Rohit said after India’s seven-wicket win.
“You come here to challenge yourself. Yes, it is dangerous but it is challenging. When people come to India, it is challenging as well. When you’re here to play Test cricket, we talk about Test cricket being the ultimate prize, Test cricket being the pinnacle and all. We also stand by it.
“When you’re put up against a challenge like that, you come and face it. That’s what happens in India, but when the pitch starts turning on Day 1 in India, people start talking ‘puff of dust, puff of dust, there are so many cracks on the pitch’. It’s important that we stay neutral wherever we go.”
Rohit urged the ICC to stay ‘neutral’ when it came to rating pitches.
“Honestly, I would like to see how the pitches are rated. Mumbai, Bangalore, Cape Town, Centurion are all quite different. The overhead conditions are different...
“If the ball seams from ball 1, it’s fine for everyone. That’s not fair. If the ball starts spinning from ball 1, it should be okay. Otherwise, you stay neutral and start rating these pitches also as bad. If you want the ball only to seam and not to turn, in my opinion that’s absolutely wrong. That’s my judgement, my opinion and I’ll stick to it.”
Rohit expressed surprise at the World Cup final pitch being rated ‘below average’.
“Some of these match referees need to keep their eye on how they rate pitches. I still can’t believe the World Cup final pitch was rated ‘below average’. A batsman got a hundred there. How can that be a poor pitch? The ICC, the match referees need to start rating pitches based on what they see, not based on countries. That’s very important.”
