Former Indian captain and cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar He expressed his disappointment over the whitewash of the 1st T20I between them South Africa India due to continued rain in Durban on Sunday, December 10.
The match, which was scheduled to be played at Kingsmead, was abandoned without a throw due to persistent rain which left pitch conditions wet. The officials waited on the field for two hours after the scheduled draw time before deciding to abandon the match due to unfavorable conditions.
Sunil Gavaskar criticizes South African cricket
Speaking to Star Sports, he strongly criticized Gavaskar Cricket South Africa (CSA), stressing that the entire cricket pitch should have been covered. He expressed the view that every cricket board has sufficient funds to invest in covers, which prevent the pitch from getting wet.
“If the ground remains bare and the rain stops, you know it won’t start for another hour. And suddenly it’s raining again. So there’s no playing at all. Everyone (cricket boards) is getting a lot of money. Let’s make no mistake,” he said. Gavaskar said.
“All cricket boards have a lot of money. And if they say they don’t, they’re lying. They may not have as much money as BCCI. Fair enough. But every board has the money to buy these covers to cover the entire ground.” The 74-year-old added.
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Learning from the Gardens of Eden and the leadership of Sourav Ganguly
Using the Eden Gardens as an example, Gavaskar highlighted the extensive ground cover implemented to protect against rain. He credited the initiatives at Eden Gardens to Sourav Ganguly’s leadership and urged the cricket world to follow his example in ensuring that the grounds are adequately protected from inclement weather.
“What the boards have to do now is cover the whole ground. Let’s not have any excuses. I remember I think there was one trial match at Eden Gardens called where there were some problems in the game and the next match didn’t start, Eden Gardens was completely covered with ground This is the kind of initiative you want to have. Sourav Ganguly was the man in charge and made sure that no one could point fingers at Eden Gardens. concluded the Mumbaikar.
The second meeting between India and South Africa is scheduled to take place on Tuesday (December 12) in Kebira.