Gavaskar questions silence on Perth pitch: ‘Stop targeting Indian cricket’
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar launched a sharp attack on the ongoing pitch debate and accused many voices in world cricket of showing clear double standards. He reacted after the first Ashes Test between Australia and England in Perth wrapped up in just two days. Australia won by eight wickets. The match saw 32 wickets fall in six sessions. Only once did a team cross 200, and that happened in Australia’s final innings.
Gavaskar stressed that the same experts who blasted the Kolkata pitch last week stayed silent about the Perth surface. The Freedom Trophy opener between India and South Africa in Kolkata ended in 2.5 days. Several former players — including Michael Vaughan, Cheteshwar Pujara and Anil Kumble — questioned the Eden Gardens pitch. However, they did not offer similar criticism when the ball behaved unpredictably in Perth.
He then highlighted a key contrast. The Perth wicket improved for batting as the game moved ahead. Meanwhile, the Eden track offered variable bounce right from the start. Yet, he said, this difference did not justify the one-sided scrutiny India received. He recalled the Sydney Test earlier this year, where 15 wickets fell on Day One. He pointed out that even then, there was no global uproar about the quality of the pitch.
Gavaskar wrote in his column that last year as well, the Perth surface produced 17 wickets on Day One during the India–Australia Test. He noted that critics ignored this pattern. He said the curator’s explanation at that time was simple: this is Perth, and this pitch will give bounce. Gavaskar responded by saying that if bounce is accepted in Australia, then turn must be accepted in India. According to him, both behaviours are natural to those conditions, yet only one receives constant criticism.
He also asked why players who struggle on bouncy pitches do not face the same judgement as those who struggle against spin. He argued that commentators often label subcontinent batters as weak against pace. But when visiting teams fail on turning tracks, experts quickly blame Indian curators instead of questioning batting skill.
Gavaskar also referred to the reaction on social media from Ravichandran Ashwin and Aakash Chopra. Both questioned why 19 wickets falling in a day in Perth did not spark the same noise that follows a two-day Test in India. Gavaskar said their comments showed that many modern players also recognise this unequal treatment.
He drew a sharp comparison with the past. He recalled a time when mistakes by foreign umpires were described as human errors, while mistakes by umpires from the subcontinent were branded as cheating. He said the same mindset now creeps into the pitch narrative. He argued that people assume curators abroad work without bias, while Indian curators face unfair suspicion.
Gavaskar ended with a direct message. He said critics should stop pointing fingers at India without checking their own inconsistencies. He added that when people accuse Indian cricket, they must remember that their own arguments often turn back at them.
He urged the cricket community to apply one standard for all conditions. He said the game gains fairness only when experts analyse every pitch with the same honesty and neutrality.
