Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary Indian opener, is perplexed by all the hype about the surface at Wankhede Stadium ahead of India’s vital 2023 World Cup semifinal against New Zealand on Wednesday.
Several allegations have circulated regarding the Indian team management supposedly asking the curators for a “used” pitch for the semifinals. According to accounts, the hosts sought to give their spinners an advantage.
Sunil Gavaskar, speaking to India Today, highlighted why the Wankhede field is projected to be on the drier side regardless of whether one is utilized. He stated:
“The pitch is there for all the teams, so I don’t think there should be too much discussion on what this pitch will do or not do. I do believe that this Indian team is perfectly capable of handling any kind of surface. Have seen that in the tournament so far.
“And if it’s a drier pitch, which is likely to be the case simply because the rains have gone. So there is no hint of any moisture.”
Sunil Gavaskar
He further added:
“Yes, there might just be a little bit of spin, no question about it. But the Mumbai pitch is generally very good for batting, so I don’t think there should be too much of an issue.
“With the kind of bowling that we have, bowlers who have bowled superbly, whether they are bowling first or second, I don’t think the pitch would be too much of an issue at all.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar Mocks the Journalists for Their Cricket Analysis
Sunil Gavaskar argued that those who produced allegations regarding India exploiting the pitch did so only to get traction. He believes it shouldn’t matter as long as the pitch is the same for both sides.
Sunil Gavaskar commented on this:
“I think this is typically, you know, on the eve of the match when you have nothing to write about and then, you know, you try to say something because you want to fill in your columns, you want to talk about pitches and stuff like that.
“To me, it doesn’t make a difference. If the pitch changes after the toss, they certainly have a conversation. But if the pitch is the same before the toss, I don’t think any any noise should be made at all.”
Sunil Gavaskar
Given the way the ball performs under the lights at the Wankhede Stadium, any team that wins the toss would like to bat first and score runs.
