NEW DELHI: Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at the Australian media, labelling them as ‘scaremongers’ following India’s impressive victory in the Perth Test.
The cricketer-turned-expert accused the media of creating wild narratives of the WACA pitch ahead of the first Test to create unnecessary pressure among the Indian batters.
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The Perth Test saw India display remarkable resilience and skill, silencing critics with a commanding 295 runs win at the Optus Stadium. India currently lead the 5-match Test series for Border-Gavaskar Trophy 1-0, aiming for a third consecutive series win on Australian soil.
Gavaskar’s comments underline his frustration with biased reporting and his defence of the team’s stellar performance on foreign soil, reinforcing the value of fair and objective cricket journalism.
“All the boasts about how the pitch is going to be pacy and bouncy and scare the living daylights out of the Indian batters were exactly that – the boasts of a bully. Mind you, it wasn’t the Aussie players but their support staff in the media, both electronic and print, who were trying to be scaremongers,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar on Monday.
Gavaskar praised the Indian batters for outshining the hosts, securing a remarkable win despite being bowled out for 150 in the first innings. After the batting setback, the bowlers stepped up brilliantly, dismissing Australia for just 104. In challenging pacy and bouncy conditions, the Indian batters showcased immense resilience and skill, posting an impressive 487/6 declared in the second innings to seal the victory.
“It was very similar to 2007/8 after the kerfuffle between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test match. The Australian selectors had added Shaun Tait to the Aussie squad for the next Test match in Perth, and the media were going nuts, suggesting he was going to blow the Indians away on the fast, bouncy WACA pitch in Perth,” wrote Gavaskar.
Gavaskar also believes there is evident panic within the Australian team environment, pointing to Josh Hazlewood’s comments following their massive defeat to India in the opening Test.
“The panic in the Australian ranks is palpable, what with former players calling for heads to be chopped off and some even hinting at cracks in the Australian team after Josh Hazlewood’s media interview at the end of the third day’s play, where he suggested that it was up to the batters to now do something.
“Now, a few days later, Hazlewood is out of the second Test and possibly the series too with a supposed side strain. Strange, that, since nobody had noticed anything wrong with Hazlewood at that media conference. Mystery, mystery — the like of which used to be common in Indian cricket in the past. Now it’s the Aussies, and like old McDonald, I’m simply loving it,” Gavaskar further wrote.
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