IND vs ENG: Sunil Gavaskar feels slamming Indian pitches a publicity stunt by foreign cricketers

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar (PTI/File Photo)

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday said that media should not give more priority to foreign cricketers, who are slamming the Indian pitches on social media platforms. The Indian batting legend feels that the cricketers who are constantly voicing their opinion on social media regarding the Indian pitches will keep doing it until they are getting publicity out of it.  

"The discussion should have been around bowling and batting. The batsmen got bowled or were given LBW, how can we call it a bad pitch. Why do we give this much importance to foreign players? Why should we discuss what they are saying," Gavaskar told host broadcaster Star Sports on Thursday.

Sunny G is not mincing his words on all the talk about the pitch  - "#ChalPhut!"

Waiting to see what meme @WasimJaffer14 can turn this into #INDvENG #AmdavadTaiyarHai #IndiaTaiyarHai pic.twitter.com/Rjcum9ayrp — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 4, 2021

"When India gets all out on 36 runs, then are the comments of Kapil Dev, (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Sourav) Ganguly or (Virender) Sehwag given importance by that country`s media or TV channel. Not at all. Then why are we giving importance to them. And when we will not give them importance, they will learn the lesson. Till the time they know that they will get importance and publicity, they will keep doing it. England team did not complain. Joe Root did not complain," he added. 

Former England cricketers Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen have been very vocal about the Indian tracks in the newly inaugurated Narendra Modi Stadium, since the conclusion of the third Test, which got wrapped inside two days. 

Ahead of the fourth Test, Vaughan had shared a picture of him standing in dugup soil with a bat in his hands. "Preparations going well for the 4th Test !! #OnOn #INDvENG," he had written in the caption." 

Covering for the straight one !!!  https://t.co/HqJkNHJGVv — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 2, 2021

Also, former England spinner Monty Panesar on Sunday criticised the pitch and was quoted by ANI in a report as saying: "It was like playing club cricket on a Saturday in England. When we play club cricket, we will bowl a team out for under 100, and then it`s difficult to chase because it`s a turning pitch. I think being the biggest stadium in the world, Narendra Modi Stadium deserves longer Test matches because people want to see how good the wicket is, you look at the stadium, beautiful views, and what an amazing stadium India has produced. It does not deserve a two-day Test match that`s under 900 balls, you might just play on a park, if you are going to play this type of cricket."