"This Is Not On": Australia Great Fumes Over 'Pitch Dilemma' In Ahmedabad Test
Pitches used in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy have been subjected to intense debates since the start of the Test series.
The nature of the pitches has been the central talking point in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The first three Tests of the series ended within 3 days each, with the 3rd Test pitch also being rated 'poor' by the International Cricket Council. As the attention turned to the 4th Test between India and Australia in Ahmedabad, a different kind of controversy erupted, with suggestions of India preparing 'two different pitches' surfacing. Ahead of the Day 1 of the 4th Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Australia great Mark Waugh fumed at the situation, suggesting such a dilemma "is not on".
"This is not on," Waugh said on Fox Cricket, fuming over the dilemma. "I don't know how you don't know what pitch you're playing on.
"In Australia, I think the groundsman and curators are told months in advance, so they set up the pitch for the camera, the sidescreen, the spectators. But in India, it's different.
Waugh drew correlations between the pitch situation in India to county cricket where multiple pitches are prepared and one is chosen, depending upon the opposition.
"It's a bit like county cricket. You used to turn up to county grounds and there would be three pitches prepared depending on who turned up for the opposition side, then they would decide.
"I don't know what's going on here but I think something needs to be done about this."
Even former Australia wicket-keeper batter Brad Haddin was in agreement with Waugh.
He said: "If you go back to the last Test match, just before the Test, Rohit Sharma said, 'I would like the next wicket to be a green wicket, get us ready for the Test championship.
"But Australia didn't read that script, they won the Test match.
"I just think they prepared that wicket thinking Australia were going to lose that Test match, then all of a sudden panicked, and now they had to go back to a traditional Indian wicket," he added.
India Cricket Team
Australia Cricket Team
Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad