Sydney, Jan 4 (IANS) Legendary India batter Sunil Gavaskar believes the green pitch at the fast-moving ongoing fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground would be questioned if the game was played in India, adding that the surface dishing out is not ideal for playing longer format games.
After 11 wickets fell on day one’s play, day two yielded 15 wickets. India, after bowling out Australia for 181, took a four-run first-innings lead and reached 141/6 at stumps, with the overall lead standing at 145.
“If 15 wickets fell (on one day) in India, all hell would have broken loose. We had Glenn McGrath saying he’d never seen so much grass. Did you hear any former India cricketer moan about the pitch?”
“Former (Australian and English cricketers are) all the time talking about Indian pitches and conditions. We are not moaners, we are not whingers. You will never find us complaining. But 15 wickets in a day in India, man that would be hell.”
“When we go out and play cricket we will toughen it out. And if we are beaten, we are beaten. Overseas it’s very difficult to beat home teams. I did say that when we saw the pitch yesterday, the cows could have gone and grazed on it.”
“This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth and fifth day. Unless there is rain I don’t see us being here on day four,” said Gavaskar on ABC Grandstand Radio after day two’s play ended.
Scott Boland shone yet again by picking 4-42 on day two, after clinching figures of 4-31 on day one. He also got Virat Kohli out twice in the match, which means Boland has taken out the talismanic batter four times in the series.
Australia wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey said he was pleased for Boland coming good at Sydney. “He’s challenging the batters, putting the ball in the right area on wickets like this. He’s just creating so much for us.”
“He’s a different bowler to maybe Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood where he’s a little bit shorter, a little bit skinnier where potentially more balls can hit the top of the stumps. He’s getting his opportunity now and it’s not surprise to the playing group how good he is. We love his energy,” Carey said.
–IANS
nr/ab