Sunil Gavaskar lashes out at Cricket’s Apex Body for ‘harsh’ demerit points decision after 3rd Test in Indore

The third Test match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) series ended after three days, with Australia winning convincingly by nine wickets. The Apex Body of Cricket subsequently issued a stern Indore pitch assessment. According to the committee’s Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Procedure, they rated the pitch as “poor”. Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar was incensed by the body’s decision, calling it “unfair” and a painful reminder of the Gabba pitch in November last year, which had hosted a Test match between Australia and South Africa.

“The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start. The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface, providing little or no seam movement, and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match,” said the match referee Chris Board.

‘I think 3 demerit points is a little harsh’ – Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar was vocal about his discontent with the Apex Body’s decision. “One thing I would like to know, there was this Test match in November in Brisbane Gabba, where the match finished in 2 days. How many demerit points did that pitch get, and who was the match referee there?” he questioned. “I think 3 demerit points is a little harsh because, in this pitch, yes, the ball turned, but it was not dangerous. When Australia get to a score of 77 for the loss of one wicket, it actually tells you that the pitch got a lot better,” the 73-year-old added.

Despite criticism from many, including South Africa’s captain Dean Elgar, the Apex body gave the Gabba pitch a “below average” rating.

Richie Richardson, an Elite Panel of Match Referees member, opened up on the Gabba pitch. “Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers. There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement. The odd delivery also kept low on the second day, making it very difficult for batters to build partnerships. I found the pitch to be “below average” as per the ICC guidelines since it was not an even contest between bat and ball.”