Sunil Gavaskar Furious With "One Of Ben Stokes' Has-Beens" For Finding Fault With Everything About Indian Cricket
Sunil Gavaskar has blasted the pitch critics who have been going overboard after the Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team lost to South Africa inside three days
- Sunil Gavaskar slammed the pitch critics after India's loss to South Africa in the 1st Test
- In an apparent attack on England's Michael Vaughan, Gavaskar said Indian pitches face unnecessary criticism
- "Lots of wickets fall in a day in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, but not a word of sarcasm," Gavaskar said
Sunil Gavaskar has blasted the pitch critics who have been going overboard after the Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team lost to South Africa inside three days on a tricky Eden Gardens pitch. India failed to chase a 124-run target and now faces a must-win situation to save the home Test series against the World Test Championship winners. In an apparent attack on former England captain Michael Vaughan, who called the Eden Gardens pitch 'awful', Gavaskar said Indian pitches face unnecessary criticism.
Awful pitch in Kolkata … #INDvSA
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 15, 2025
"Even for this Test match at the Eden Gardens, one of Ben Stokes's has-beens has got vocal about the pitch simply because 15 wickets fell on day two. I have been a has-been longer than this has-been, but I can say with conviction that the pitch was tough, not impossible to bat on. Temba Bavuma showed that with his short back-lift and soft hands, keeping his bat speed just slow enough so that even if the ball took the edge, it would not carry to the close-in fielder. He also showed admirable patience and great temperament, even when the ball went past the outside edge," Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar.
"In essence, it was proper Test match batting and not what modern batters do the moment they find it is not a flat pitch and the ball is doing something off it."
Gavaskar went on to give the example of foreign pitches which have produced too many wickets on a single day.
"By the way, when India toured Australia last year, 17 wickets fell on day one in Perth. In Adelaide, 11 fell on the first day and 14 on the second," Gavaskar wrote.
"In Sydney, 11 wickets fell on day one and 15 on day two. Did the has-been have any complaints or caustic comments about those pitches? Absolutely not. Ten wickets on day two at Leeds. In Birmingham, eight wickets fell on the second, third and fourth days.
"At The Oval, 15 wickets fell on the second day, but of course, unsurprisingly, not a word of criticism about the pitches in Australia and England. Lots of wickets fall in a day in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but nary a word of sarcasm. That is left for India and Indian pitches. So predictable this haranguing about Indian pitches and finding fault with everything about Indian cricket."
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Sunil Gavaskar