Ravi Shastri-Sudhir Naik Spat: Don't Blame Wicket for Wankhede Rout, Says Gavaskar
Ravi Shastri allegedly used abusive language against Wankhede pitch curator Sudhir Naik after India lost the fifth ODI versus South Africa by 214 runs. But Sunil Gavaskar feels the nature of the pitch had little to do with India's poor cricket.
Heated exchanges on and off the pitch are part of the game but that doesn't hide the fact that India played poor cricket in the fifth and deciding ODI against South Africa in Mumbai on Sunday.
South Africa routed India by a whopping 214 runs to win their maiden bilateral series 3-2 and India's Team Director allegedly abused Wankhede pitch curator Sudhir Naik for the massive defeat. Naik is a former Test opener and well-respected in Mumbai's cricket circles.
Shastri's spat with Naik has made headlines on Tuesday and former Test batsman Sanjay Manjrekar criticised the team director for crossing the line by making offensive remarks against the 70-year-old Naik.
Gavaskar told NDTV that heated exchanges are not uncommon and people do use foul language "when they are disappointed", only to "regret later." The former Test opener and TV analyst, who saw India's abject failure at Wankhede from close, said the pitch should not be an excuse for the humiliation. (MCA to Discuss Alleged Confrontation | BCCI to Probe Matter)
"India bowling was bad and South Africa's batting was superlative," said Gavaskar, adding that onus was on the staging association to prepare the wicket it wanted.
"It's the politics of cricket. How often does India get the wicket they always wanted? You come play, win or lose and move on," Gavaskar said.