This is how my morning started today! Although I don’t really care what a good for nothing journo has to say about, let alone the ‘Indian era of doctored pitches.’
Indians who grew up in the 90s have a relative animosity with Aussies Cricket Team. Not because they fought on the pitch or used a certain kind of language or went to length to win a game. These are fair in those games and beat us fair. Liked that bit.
It is the bloody losses which made it all dark and fucking humiliating. And growing up we learnt to take losses and respect the better teams.
Yes, we have had some great Indian cricketers over the last 70-80 years of cricketing culture but it is in the 21st century we have started giving the Aussies run for their money not just in the subcontinent but also down under - and we started winning. Recently we have kicked them in the nuts consecutive times on two different tours. I imagine the wins of 2018-19 would have been (3-1) had it not rained during the last day. Anyway!
Recently one ‘also-have-been’ by the name of Ian Healy, comes to the fore and bloody comments on the definition of fair wickets! Who gets to define that? I am pretty sure it should not be Aussie uncles or for that matter grandmas from Tasmania. I wonder if he knows another Aussie by the name Ian Chappell, I don’t see him crying and whining about the pitch and stuff!
I sometimes think that Cricket Aussie forgets that we Indian are masters of whataboutery! After all, we are a democratic state with a population of 1400MM - read that again - and we have 100s if not 1000s of democratic parties! Whataboutery is natural to us!
Okay, I shall whatabout now!
Sydney(2008) - bloody Sydney
Sandpapergate
Brain fade
Trevor Chappell
Paine-gate
shall I go on??
Did we ever complain about the old WACA? That was the nature of the pitch, wasn’t it?
Well that’s how it is in Rajkot, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Delhi etc and etc. These are not dustbowls and flat tracks. These are proper pitches which are used in the First Class games here in India. Also on top of it - I have been hearing that there has been selective watering of the pitch - you have bloody 5-6 left handed folks in your top order! Did you not know that Ashwin takes lefties for breakfast and lunch?
And yeah - it is by design so(we are climate change activists - we only had enough water to water the pitch). See Ashwin will get you, if not him Axar will, if not him Jadeja will.
What comes to my mind is the recently concluded SA vs Australia Test series! What were those pitches if not doctored? How would it feel to be drubbed by a team which is still recovering to build a formidable batting attack after the golden generation of their batters took the day off. So what you did was ‘give a day off’ to the grass cutter guy and he was off sipping on this Victoria Bitter at a cheap pub!
Be a bloody cool sport about it Aussie bros!