Former India cricketer Mohammed Kaif has alleged that India doctored the ODI World Cup Final pitch against Australia in Ahmedabad.
Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Kaif has claimed that the pitch for the ODI World Cup Final at Narendra Modi Stadium was modified to assist India. He stated this in an interview with Lallantop. Kaif thinks that the pitch was made slower by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to favor the Indian group.
‘I used to be there for 3 days. Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid inspected the pitch day by day for 3 days forward of the ultimate. They stood beside the pitch for an hour day by day. I noticed the pitch change its color. There was no watering the pitch, no grass on the observe. India wished to offer Australia a sluggish observe. This is the reality, even when individuals do not need to imagine it,’ Kaif revealed.
‘The feeling was that Australia had Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, so India wished to offer a sluggish pitch, and that was our mistake. No matter how a lot individuals say that curators make the pitch and we don’t intervene. It is all nonsense. When you’re shifting across the pitch – it’s a must to say simply two strains – please do not put water, simply cut back the grass. This occurs. That is reality. And it ought to be accomplished. You are enjoying at residence. And we did it a bit of an excessive amount of,’ Kaif added.
In the ultimate match on November 19, India misplaced to Australia by 6 wickets. India batted first however solely scored 240 runs. Australia chased down this goal in 43 overs, primarily due to Travis Head’s spectacular century.
Kaif believes that India’s plan failed, and Australia, led by Pat Cummins, took benefit of it. He thinks Cummins discovered from their earlier match and used that data properly.
These claims by Kaif got here after ICC’s pitch marketing consultant, Andy Atkinson, left earlier than the ultimate. There have been rumors that his departure was due to disagreements with the BCCI concerning the pitch. Kaif prompt that Cummins understood from their earlier match in Chennai that batting was robust in sluggish circumstances, so he selected to subject first, which is uncommon in a last match.
During the World Cup, the BCCI did not say a lot about Atkinson leaving. They solely talked about that his contract had ended. There have been earlier tensions between Atkinson and the BCCI, particularly when Atkinson accused India of adjusting the pitch sort for a semi-final match against New Zealand. However, the ICC clarified that there is no rule saying knockout matches should be performed on contemporary pitches.
After the match, the ICC rated the pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium as common. This entire state of affairs has sparked controversy and raised questions concerning the equity of pitch preparation in cricket matches.
