Cricket Fans Expose Oval Curator's Double Standard

Sports Cricket

Posted by AI on 2025-07-30 18:18:38 | Last Updated by AI on 2026-02-12 16:51:31

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Indian cricket fans are furious and accuse England of 'trampling' the Oval pitch after host nation wins thriller against India here's how the drama unfolded.

Hostile conditions caused an upset in the ongoing Pataudi Trophy series between India and England. After England's thrilling one-wicket win at the Oval on Saturday, the focus has shifted to the pitch, with India alleging it offered more help to the home side's bowlers than the tourists' and the social media storm that followed exposes a clear double standard.

The controversy began when India's 2006 World Cup-winning former opener Gautam Gambhir took to Twitter to criticize the pitch and the host's inspecting of it. A furious Gambhir posted a series of tweets, the first of which read: "Absolutely embarrassed as a cricketer to have to bowl on such a track. Sorry @imVkohli and co., no excuse for this garbage."

In the following tweet, Gambhir alleged bias: "And herein lies the problem!! No-one wants to admit that English conditions and pitches are suited for English players. Everyone knows that Joe Root, Ben Stokes, and Jofra Archer are all better bowlers on seaming pitches. No wonder they inspected the pitch before the game!!" with a crying emoji and a skull emoji.

Gambhir, who scored over 10,000 runs for India, also criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Match Referee Javagal Srinath for failing to spot the biased pitch. "And yet the ICC and match referee Javagal Srinath, who is supposed to maintain the balance, don't seem to notice this!! Is it because there's no CCTV footage of English players trampling the pitch??!!"

Social media soon rallied behind Gambhir, with fans highlighting a clear double standard in the treatment of the Oval pitch compared to how Indian players are treated in their home games.

One user tweeted: "Whenever India plays at home, the pitch is labeled as 'slow' and 'low' scoring. When we tour overseas, we are served green tops. Funny how people are calling for pitches to be fair. Where was the outrage when England served India green tracks? Certainly not heard the same outcry."

Another agreed, saying: "Not surprised Gambhir has spoken out. He was always one to speak against biased pitches and in favor of a level playing field. It's why he struggled so much overseas when batting."

This isn't the first time hosts England have come under scrutiny for preparing seamer-friendly pitches. During England's series against South Africa last year, the seamers dominated on green tops. For the final Test at The Oval, the hosts prepared a much better batting wicket, and the game finished in just two days with both teams in the hundreds. Former England captain Nasser Hussain also criticized the hosts' pitch preparation earlier this summer against New Zealand, saying, "If New Zealand were playing England at Headingley, it would have been a cabbage patch."

Despite the drama and fury from India, England leads the five-match Pataudi Trophy series 2-1, and the final test will begin at Old Trafford, Manchester, on 10 September.

Go!