India’s pursuit of a third World Cup title recently concluded with a defeat against Australia in the final, led by Rohit Sharma. India’s impressive tournament run, with 10 consecutive victories, couldn’t withstand Australia’s exceptional bowling and fielding, ultimately shattering their aspirations in the final.
Controversy arose during India’s journey to the final, with reports suggesting a “pitch swapping” incident. Allegations circulated that the BCCI had influenced the pitch selection for the semi-final against New Zealand, a claim attributed to the ICC head curator.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, however, has dismissed these accusations as “pretty irrelevant. In his Sportstar column, Gavaskar stated that the ICC pitch consultant was present, and the match proceeded on the designated pitch only after obtaining approval from the ICC.
Gavaskar pointed out the impracticality of the controversy, highlighting the semi-final where pacer Mohammed Shami claimed seven wickets on a pitch initially thought to favour spinners.
“There’s nothing mentioned in the playing conditions that a fresh pitch is needed for knockout games. So, playing India’s matches on used pitches is not any misconduct. The allegations of a dry pitch favoring Indian spinners were put to rest in the semifinals when over 725 runs were scored and an Indian fast bowler took seven wickets,” he wrote.