"I feel these are double standards" - Wasim Jaffer slams Australia for complaints about Nagpur pitch

Australian batters David Warner and Steve Smith checking the Nagpur pitch. (P.C.:Twitter) — Australian batters David Warner (L) and Steve Smith checking the Nagpur pitch. (P.C.:Twitter)

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has pointed out the double standards of the Australian media.

The Australian media had several complaints about the pitch used for the recently concluded first Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023 in Nagpur. Some outlets wrote that India had 'doctored' the pitch by selective watering. They also claimed that the hosts had purposely kept patches outside the left-hander's off-stump dry since the Aussies had a lot of left-handers in their batting line-up.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Wasim Jaffer underlined how India are always at the receiving end when Tests finish quickly here. But the same treatment is never meted out to other nations when overseas Tests wrap up in three days.

He said:

"The talk about the pitch has always been too much when a game ends within three days on a turning track in India. But when the green tops produce a result in the same time overseas, not much is talked about. I feel these are double standards. Pitch is dangerous when the players have a fear of getting hurt by uneven bounce."

They probably know their players don't have the skill: Wasim Jaffer on opposition teams creating controversy

There was a similar debate about the pitches dished out when England toured India for a Test series back in 2021. Wasim Jaffer feels these complaints are just to divert the attention of the audience from the fact that the batters hadn't prepared well against quality Indian spinners.

On this, Jaffer stated:

"Maybe the Australian and English media do that because they probably know their players don't have the skill. Maybe they want to shift the focus from the way their batters apply against our spinners, the quality of their spinners, to just talking about the pitch."

Australia might contemplate playing three spinners in the second Test in Delhi. They probably missed the services of a left-arm spinner in Nagpur. The visitors would also hope that both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are available for selection.