“Why do we give this much importance to foreign players” - Sunil Gavaskar on pitch critics

Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar feels that undue importance is being given to foreign players, who have been criticising the pitches in the ongoing India-England series.

Without naming anyone, Sunil Gavaskar added that these ex-players would keep at it as long as they get publicity.

Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan has been among the biggest critics of the surfaces prepared for the current India-England series. In the build-up to the fourth Test, he put up various bizarre posts on social media to troll India over the pitch preparations.

Refusing to give any weightage to such criticism by foreign players, Sunil Gavaskar told Star Sports:

"The discussion should have been around bowling and batting. The batsmen got bowled or were given LBW; how can we call it a bad pitch.? Why do we give this much importance to foreign players? Why should we discuss what they are saying?”

Incidentally, Vaughan refused to blame the pitch for England’s collapse on Day 1 of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. He instead praised the Indian bowlers for exploiting the conditions to the hilt.

Vaughan also rated England’s batting effort as ‘terrible’. Posting on his Twitter account, the former England skipper wrote:

“India, today with the ball, showed why they are so good in these conditions ... Pitch did very little for 60 overs, and they completely out skilled & outthought England ... !! High class ... England with the bat were very very average ... #INDvENG.”

India today with the ball showed why they are so good in these conditions ... Pitch did very little for 60 overs and they completely out skilled & out thought England ... !! High class ... England with the Bat were very very average ... #INDvENG

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) March 4, 2021

England team did not complain; Joe Root did not complain: Sunil Gavaskar

Sunil Gavaskar further pointed out to the fact that neither the England team nor their captain Joe Root have complained about the surfaces on offer.

He also added that the foreign media doesn’t give importance to ex-Indian players when the team fares poorly abroad. Sunil Gavaskar elaborated:

"When India get all out on 36 runs, are the comments of Kapil Dev, (Sachin) Tendulkar, (Sourav) Ganguly or (Virender) Sehwag given importance by that country's media or TV channel? Not at all. Then why are we giving importance to them. And when we will not give them importance, they will learn the lesson. Till the time they know that they will get importance and publicity, they will keep doing it. England team did not complain. Joe Root did not complain.”

India dismantled England in under two days in the pink-ball Test, which led to a furore over the surface.

It's Stumps on Day 1 of the 4⃣th & final @Paytm #INDvENG Test! #TeamIndia 24/1, trail England by 181 runs@cheteshwar1 15*@ImRo45 8*Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/9KnAXjaKfb pic.twitter.com/c3eKfpoKoN

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 4, 2021

The hosts are in the ascendancy in the fourth Test as well. After bowling out England for a meagre 205, Team India ended Day 1 on 24 for 1, trailing the visitors by 181 runs.