Last Updated: February 04, 2023, 14:26 IST
Australia are the world’s top-ranked Test team. (AFP Photo)
Ian Healy recently claimed that Australia will win in India if the pitches there are not unfair
As Australian team gears up for the spin challenge during the Border-Gavaksar Trophy, Ian Healy has taken a dig at India for producing ‘unfair pitches’ during the team’s last tour of the country back in 2017. He claims that should the pitches this time around not be overly spin-friendly, Australia will have a chance to beat India in the four-match Test series.
Healy, during a chat show, said Indian batters better deal with conditions when the ball starts jumping from day one.
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“I think if they (India) produce fair Indian wickets, that are good batting wickets, to start with, (that) probably spin and spin pretty consistently but spin a long way, late in the match … we (Australia) win. I’m worried about (Mitchell) Starc and (Nathan) Lyon in the first Test … if they’re unfair wickets which I’ve seen in the last series, where balls were jumping ridiculously and sliding down low from day one, I think India play those conditions better than us,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
However, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has called out Healy for making the unnecessary statement. He points out that when teams from the subcontinent travel to Australia, they don’t complain about the pitches there which offer extra bounce and term them as ‘unfair’.
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“When teams from subcontinent travel (to Australia), they don’t complain about pitches offering extra bounce as being unfair. You have to face the home conditions. Like teams have to deal with Perth, they also get tested by spin (in India). Shouldn’t make statements like these about pitch,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
Butt added that both the teams are dealing with the same conditions and claimed that it’s habitual of the visiting teams to complain about pitches being unfair.
“The outcome is being decided on the same pitch – the other team is winning so it means they are doing something better than you. This is habitual. If they don’t understand it, it becomes unfair,” Butt said.
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