India vs South Africa: 'Poor' Nagpur Pitch Warned by International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe had maligned the Nagpur pitch after India beat South Africa in three days.
The much-maligned Nagpur pitch, where India's spinners butchered South Africa in three days in November, has been let off by the International Cricket Council with a warning.
The International Cricket Council match referee Jeff Crowe had given a "poor" rating to the Jamtha Stadium wicket. The former Kiwi star felt the pitch did not allow a fair contest between bat and ball.
The ICC sanction took into consideration the fact that there had been no concerns about the performance of the pitch after any of the other international matches played at this venue.
The finding was made by ICC General Manager - Cricket, Geoff Allardice, and ICC chief match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, after watching footage of the match, reviewing the post-match reports from Crowe, and considering the response provided by the BCCI.
The BCCI had reportedly denied that the pitch was loaded in favour of India. The Nagpur pitch was slammed by several cricketers but former great Sunil Gavaskar defended the conditions, saying the South Africans did not have the skills to face India's spinners.
South Africa lost the four-Test series 3-0, losing all matches by big margins. India's spinners dictated terms on wickets that often turned from day 1 of a Test match.