In a candid and assertive statement, Indian cricket vice-captain Rohit Sharma has called upon the International Cricket Council (ICC) to maintain neutrality in assessing pitches across the globe. The cricketer’s remarks come in the wake of Indian pitches receiving less favorable ratings in recent times, sparking debates about the fairness of such assessments.
Sharma, who recently led India to a decisive victory against South Africa in the second Test, expressed his views on the issue, emphasizing the need for impartiality in pitch evaluations. The match, which concluded in just two days, raised eyebrows due to the quick succession of innings and the perceived challenging conditions for batting.
“I mean, we saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played and stuff like that,” Rohit said. “I honestly don’t mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and don’t talk too much about Indian pitches, honestly.”
The cricketer stressed the importance of embracing challenges in Test cricket, noting that playing in India can be as demanding for opponents as it is for the home team. He urged players to face challenges head-on and not complain about the conditions, asserting that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the sport.
“When you are put up against a challenge like that, you come and face it. That’s what happens in India, but, in India on day one, if the pitch starts turning, people start talking about ‘Puff of dust! Puff of dust!’ There’s so much crack here on the pitch. People are not looking at that,” Rohit explained.
Furthermore, the cricketer called for neutrality from match referees when rating pitches. He expressed disbelief at instances where certain pitches were rated poorly despite producing competitive cricket. Sharma cited the example of the World Cup final pitch, which was rated average despite a batsman scoring a century.
“I still can’t believe that the World Cup final pitch was rated below average [it was rated average]. A batsman got a hundred there in the final. How can that be a poor pitch? So these are the things the ICC, the match referees, they need to look into and start rating pitches based on what they see, not based on the countries. I think that’s quite important,” Rohit asserted.
The cricketer called for a reevaluation of the rating system, emphasizing the diverse conditions in different venues. He argued that pitches deteriorate differently based on factors such as overhead conditions and the intensity of the sun.
“Honestly, I would like to see how the pitches are rated,” Rohit said. “I want to see that chart. I would love to see it, how they rate the pitches because Mumbai, Bangalore, Cape Town, Centurion, all different venues, overhead conditions are different. The pitches deteriorate quite fast when the sun is beating down that hard on the pitch.”
Rohit Sharma concluded by reiterating his stance on the matter, urging the ICC and match referees to adopt a neutral approach in assessing pitches. He emphasized the importance of staying unbiased and not favoring any particular style of play, whether it be seam movement or spin from the outset.
“I have no issues in how they want to rate, but stay neutral to everything that you do,” Rohit asserted, encapsulating his call for fairness in pitch assessments worldwide. As the cricketing world continues to grapple with this issue, Sharma’s outspoken remarks are likely to fuel discussions about the evaluation criteria for pitches in international cricket.
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