After the Indian cricket workforce entered the ultimate of the continuing Cricket World Cup with a 70-run victory over New Zealand on the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at critics, who had hinted that the pitch for the semi-final had been modified final minute on the behest of the Board of Management for Cricket in India.
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Forward of the semi-final there have been media reviews that the pitch for the match had been modified. The semi-final was initially speculated to be performed on Pitch No 7, however was as a substitute performed on Pitch No 6.
Pitch No 7 is the centre-most strip on the Wankhede Stadium. It was a pitch that was not used in the course of the league stage of the World Cup. Pitch No 6, however, had already hosted two matches within the group phases: South Africa’s 229-run victory over England on October 21, and India’s 302-run win over neighbours Sri Lanka on November 2.
Respect to Mr. Sunil Gavaskar for talking up on this…a lot appreciated! #IndiaVsNewZealand pic.twitter.com/LSccniNOok
— Teja (@pst10_) November 15, 2023
“This was such an excellent pitch to bat on. We acquired nearly 400 runs from one workforce and 320-odd runs from the opposite workforce. All these morons who have been speaking about how the pitch has been modified and the way this has been executed to do the Indian bowlers a favour, I hope they are going to simply shut up as a substitute of taking potshots at India simply to get some eyeballs. Nonsense! Even when the pitch was modified, it was modified earlier than the toss. The identical pitch was used for each the groups. It wasn’t modified in mid-innings or after the toss was executed. Pitch is identical for each groups. You play on the identical pitch and also you win… India has executed that,” stated Gavaskar on Star Sports activities after India’s victory.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was amongst those that had slammed the choice to vary the pitch on the final second. “A World Cup semi must be performed on a recent pitch .. It’s so simple as that,” he had posted on X, previously often called Twitter.
Gavaskar went on so as to add: “Assume individuals ought to cease speaking about pitches! Already they (critics) are speaking about Ahmedabad. The second semi-final has not even been performed and also you’re speaking concerning the pitch being modified in Ahmedabad. Nonsense!”
The Worldwide Cricket Council additionally had responded to the media reviews concerning the pitch being modified by issuing a press launch.
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“Modifications to deliberate pitch rotations are frequent in the direction of the top of an occasion of this size, and has already occurred a few occasions. This transformation was made on the advice of the venue curator at the side of our host. The ICC impartial pitch guide was apprised of the change and has no cause to imagine the pitch received’t play effectively,” the ICC stated in an announcement.