"A bad pitch should be called bad, whether it is ours or someone else's" - Aakash Chopra criticizes extreme seam-friendly and spin-friendly pitches

Aakash Chopra has criticized the stakeholders for preparing extreme seam-friendly or spin-friendly pitches in recent times.

India registered a seven-wicket win in the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town on Thursday, January 4. The 642 balls delivered in the game are the least-ever in a Test that has yielded a result.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra concurred with Rohit Sharma's views that pitches across the world should be judged with the same parameters. However, he opined that extreme bowler-friendly pitches anywhere need to be called bad, elaborating (3:10):

"The big question is what is right and what is wrong. Rohit said no one should talk about the pitch and that the match referees should watch properly because if you felt the World Cup final pitch was bad, what sort of pitch was this? He is right."

The former India opener added:

"My thinking is - Is this pitch right? Are the one-and-a-half to two-day-match turners prepared in India right? We are trying to justify one extreme with another. The truth is neither this nor that is right. A bad pitch should be called bad, whether it is ours or someone else's."

Chopra stated that one shouldn't be happy if a five-day Test lasts only one-and-a-half days. He added that pitches need to be better and that the contests should be skill-based and not luck-based.

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"You cannot justify in any way that these are good pitches" - Aakash Chopra

Batters struggled against the variable bounce from the Newlands surface. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra claimed that such pitches can't even be termed challenging tracks. He said (4:05):

"Let's be honest, you cannot justify in any way that these are good pitches, whether it is Cape Town, Wanderers, Perth, Ahmedabad, Indore or Delhi. These are not even difficult or challenging wickets, they are luck-based pitches."

The reputed commentator added that the pitch cannot be too unpredictable. He explained:

"The ball is going up and down, and moving sideways. The bowler doesn't know which way the ball will go or how much it will turn. Some go straight and some turn, some climb and some stay low. It is not right."

Chopra highlighted that not much thrill is left in Test cricket in any case, with South Africa sending a second-string team to New Zealand and Pakistan resting Shaheen Shah Afridi in the final Test against Australia. He opined that the interest will dwindle even further if the matches are not played on good pitches.