"There is an outcry if the ball turns in India and 20 wickets fall in a day" - Aakash Chopra criticizes the pitch for 2nd IND vs SA Test

Aakash Chopra has questioned whether there will be a similar outcry over the Cape Town pitch as there is when wickets tumble on rank turners in Tests played in India.

South Africa were bundled out for 55 after they opted to bat first in the second Test against India on Wednesday, January 3. The visitors were then bowled out for 153 before the hosts ended Day 1 at 62/3 in their second innings.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned if the Newlands surface will be criticized as much as spin-friendly Indian tracks. He elaborated (0:01):

"23 wickets fell in a day. South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first, but what sort of decision? India too wanted to bat first but they (South Africa) couldn't score even 60 runs in the first innings and they are still behind. South Africa have lost 13 wickets and we also lost 10."

The former India opener added:

"Is the pitch bad? Should we talk about the pitch because no one does that? There is an outcry if the ball turns in India and 20 wickets fall in a day. The Western media says that India keep winning on doctored pitches but if the same thing happens in South Africa, will anyone say anything or will they be tight-lipped?"

The 23 wickets that fell in Cape Town are the second most on the first day of a Test match. It also equaled the venue record for the most wickets on a single day, with 23 wickets having fallen previously on Day 2 of the 2011 Test between South Africa and Australia.

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"The pitch has a lot of help" - Aakash Chopra says luck is playing a bigger role than skills

David Bedingham was one of the batters to be deceived by extra bounce. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra compared the Cape Town pitch to the Ahmedabad surface used for the 2021 pink-ball Test between India and England, saying (5:05):

"The pitch has a lot of help. If the ball is turning as much as you are trying to get it to turn, it's alright. However, if you are bowling straight balls and they pitch and turn, and some go straight, as it happened in the pink-ball Test in Ahmedabad, suddenly batting becomes very difficult."

Chopra added that batters are more reliant on luck than skills on such pitches. He stated:

"Then luck becomes very important. The pitch here is also looking similar. Luck is outshining skill. It's not right to play on such pitches. The game should be based on skills and not luck-based. I see it as a two-day Test match. I will be very surprised if this match goes to the third day."

The Cape Town Test is unlikely to go to the third day. The Proteas still trail Rohit Sharma and company by 36 runs with seven second-innings wickets in hand. Even if they avoid an innings defeat, they are unlikely to set a big enough target for the game to go beyond the second day, irrespective of the result.