The India-Australia Border-Gavaskar Trophy has not even started yet, but there are allegations on Rohit Sharma and the Nagpur pitch, where the first Test is being held, has been altered.
It appears that whenever India holds a major Test series, surface tensions are frequently unleashed – Nagpur 2015, Pune 2017 and Ahmedabad 2021 being three recent ones that were shaped by the grounds they were held on. Now, there is a high probability that Nagpur 2023 could be added to the list, as accusations of pitch doctoring and counterarguments to these claims are the centre of debates in traditional, digital and social media ahead of the first Border-Gavaskar Test, which commences on Thursday.
Several Australian reporters and ex-cricketers think India is preparing the surface in various areas. When Rohit Sharma, the Indian captain, was questioned about the matter during a press conference on Wednesday, he gave a fitting answer.
Rohit said the attention should be on the game instead of the pitch while talking to media personnel in Nagpur the day prior to the first Test.
Rohit suggested that the players should concentrate on their cricket skills and not the pitch since all 22 players present are of good quality. He believed that the ground would be beneficial to spinners. To tackle this, he recommended the players come up with different plans such as sweeping, reverse hitting, attacking the bowler and rotating the strike.
Furthermore, Rohit said that the captains might change the bowlers and fielders, so the players must plan their games accordingly. Further, he acknowledged that India had worked hard to prepare for the 4-match Test series against Australia, yet it will be a difficult challenge to win the series.