Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar referred to the unusually grassy pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground while adding how former Indian players have refrained from criticising the challenging surface despite its apparent difficulty. The SCG wicket proved treacherous for the visiting Indian team, which struggled to adapt to the green surface. India were precariously placed at 134 for seven in the final session of Day 1, with their batting lineup once again failing to deliver. “Oh, very much,” Gavaskar responded when asked about the grass on the pitch. “Justin Langer, who’s played in Australia, has said he’s never seen so much grass on a pitch. But what you would have noticed is that no former Indian player has complained or whined about it. If a pitch in India is bereft of grass and looks like it’s going to turn, so many former players from different parts of the world criticize our pitches. But former Indian players rarely complain because we understand the importance of adapting to overseas conditions.” Openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal fell cheaply, with Shubman Gill, replacing the rested skipper Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli also dismissed before making substantial contributions. Amidst the collapse, Rishabh Pant stood tall, absorbing the brunt of Australia’s relentless bowling attack.Pant’s valiant knock, however, ended on 40 off 98 deliveries when Scott Boland’s well-directed short-pitched delivery induced a mistimed shot. Pat Cummins completed the catch at short cover, ending a hard-fought 48-run partnership between Pant and Ravindra Jadeja, which had consumed 151 deliveries.

Boland compounded India’s woes by dismissing debutant Nitish Kumar Reddy for a golden duck the very next ball.

Gavaskar, never one to mince words, was taken aback by the pitch’s grass cover. Speaking on Star Sports, he noted, “I haven’t seen so much grass on a Sydney pitch in the past. Probably, the grass cover is on the higher side compared to other pitches in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. The batting is tough, and the visiting batters are not able to connect the bat with the ball.”

In a lighter vein, he quipped, “Cows would have grazed confidently on the pitch in Sydney.”