After Ravichandran Ashwin hit back at the critics for abating the ongoing controversy behind the pitch of the pink-ball Test in Motera Stadium, Australia’s Nathan Lyon came out in support of the venue, stating ‘everyone in the world seems to start crying’ when the ball starts spinning.’
A host of former England cricketers, such as Graeme Swann and Kevin Pietersen, have thrown shade on Chennai and Ahmedabad’s pitches, with the latter significantly under question as 30 wickets fell in five sessions in the third Test between India and England.
Earlier, Ashwin responded to a question by a British media member at a conference by a question, saying, “I have a question back. What is a good cricket surface? Who defines it?” While the initial response was, ‘good contest between bat and ball’, the off-spinner continued by saying, “Yes, of course. The bowler wants to win the game. The batsman needs to bat well to get runs. There’s absolutely no question about it.”
🗣️ 🗣️ "We have never complained about the pitch in the past."#TeamIndia's ace spinner @ashwinravi99 sets the record straight.@Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/K2V4OvBQDn
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 27, 2021
“What makes a good surface? Who defines this? Seam on the first day and then bat well and then spin on the last two days? Come on! Who makes all these rules? We need to get over it and not talk about whatever picture you want to paint,” the 34-year-old said.
Lyon, a former pitch curator himself, was pleased with the Motera Stadium's pitch and went on to say that everyone in the world starts to cry when spinners start to get the upper hand in a Test match.
"We play on seaming wickets around the world and get bowled out for 47, 60. Nobody ever says a thing," said Lyon in an interview with the Australian Associated Press.
"But as soon as it starts spinning, everyone in the world seems to start crying about it. I don't get it. I'm all for it, it was entertaining.”
The 33-year-old also showered praise on the curator of the Ahmedabad Test’s pitch, candidly stating that he would love to take him to the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).
"I was up all night watching it. It was absolutely brilliant. I'm thinking about bringing that curator out to the SCG," he added.
India leads the four-Test series against England with a 2-1 margin, and the teams reconvene for the final Test on March 4, at the same venue.
Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Patrick Hamilton
