"That century wasn't with what you'd call Test match strokes" - Sunil Gavaskar's scathing attack on pitch discourse ahead of Ashes 2025-26 2nd Test

Former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar slammed the double standards concerning the Perth pitch for the 2025-26 Ashes opener between Australia and England. Despite the Test match ending in under two days, the ICC rated the Perth pitch 'Very good'.

A remarkable 19 wickets fell on Day 1 as England were bowled out for 172 and Australia were reeling at 123/9 at stumps. A further 13 wickets fell on the second day, even as the hosts completed a run-chase of 205 by eight wickets, thanks to a blistering 123 by Travis Head.

Talking about the unfair high rating for the Perth wicket in his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar said:

"Mind you, 13 wickets fell on day two also, but that century (Head's) took away any chance of the pitch being rated ‘shit’ by anybody else. That century wasn’t always with what you would call Test match strokes and was more like white-ball cricket shots, but hey, who is complaining? Not the old powers, for sure."

He continued:

"Their narrative that a pitch with bounce and danger to life and limb is never bad, but that a pitch where the ball turns and keeps low is a disgrace, is sadly still believed even by the complexed ones in the sub-continent."

Gavaskar's fury stems from several sub-continent pitches being rated poorly due to two or three-day finishes over the years.

"He will still be called great" - Sunil Gavaskar on double standards in judging batters

Sunil Gavaskar further extended his accusations of double standards by pointing to batters from the sub-continent and those from outside. The former opener believes batters with poor numbers against pace and bounce often get questioned, while those with frailties against spin are still considered all-time greats.

"They will rate a batter only if he scores tons on pacy, bouncy pitches, but if a batter from their part of the world doesn’t get a century in the sub-continent, he will still be called great. aving played a bit of cricket myself, I can say that batting against pace requires just two movements, forward or back. To counter spin, it is not just about playing forward or back, but also about going down the pitch to smother the turn and attack the ball. That’s where skill comes in," said Gavaskar (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded:

"So, for me, playing on a turning pitch requires more talent and footwork than playing pace. That is why, if you don’t score runs on such surfaces, you are not a great batter. Since top-quality spin is seldom, if ever, seen in these countries and their pitches, the moment they see spin in the sub-continent, they get uncomfortable and question the quality of the pitch. That’s typical, but unless you score in foreign conditions, how can a batter be called great?"

Gavaskar was among the few batters with a brilliant Test record at home and away conditions. The champion opener averaged 50.16 in 65 home Tests and 52.11 in 60 away red-ball games.