BGT 2023 | Focus is only on pitch whenever we play in India, Rohit Sharma expresses displaeasure

Australia have pulled off a comeback in the series winning the Indore Test by nine wickets but apart from the visitors’ solid performance there has been a lot of talks regarding the nature of the pitch. The fixture witnessed a huge amount of turns in the match and neither of the teams scored a total of more than 200. However, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has expressed his disappointment over the continuous discussion regarding the nature of the surface. 

“This pitch talk is getting too much. Every time we play in India, the focus is only on the pitch. Why are people not asking me about Nathan Lyon and how well he bowled? Or, how well Pujara batted in the second innings? Or, how well Usman Khawaja played? Those are the things I can give you details on, but not on the pitch because it is absolutely not necessary,” Rohit stated in the post-match press conference. 

Also, many of the former cricketers criticized the pitch after the three-day finish to the fixture. The assistance to the spinners during the match was evident by the state that the pacers managed to take only four wickets out of the 31 dismissals across four innings. Reacting to the concerns raised by former cricketers, Rohit stated that they haven’t played on these kinds of pitches. 

“Former cricketers did not play on pitches like this. So I don't know. As I said, this is the kind of pitch we wanted to play in and this is our strength. When you play at home, you want to play to your strength and not worry about what people outside are speaking about. And had we not gotten results, we would have thought otherwise,” he explained.

India will next play again Australia in Ahmedabad on March 9 for the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.