The former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has slammed the lack of criticism from the media on the pitch used for the WTC final 2025 at Lord’s.
The pitch used for the Lord’s Cricket Ground for the WTC Final 2025 saw 28 dismissals in the first two days of the match.
On this occasion, the former India opener addressed the issue on his YouTube channel, saying that the western media did not track in India. He even went on to mention how India would be accused of ‘doctoring pitches and killing Test cricket.’
“A big question I had about this Lord’s Test match was that if these 28 wickets had fallen in India in two days’ play, wouldn’t the western media have created an uproar, as to what sort of pitch they play, the ball is turning and bouncing, batting has become very difficult, and how such pitches can be allowed, that India is doctoring pitches and killing Test cricket,” Aakash Chopra said.
The first day of the summit clash saw Australia get bundled out for 212 runs in the first innings and South Africa went on lose four wickets in the follow-up.
The next day, there was a bit more of a fight from the batting unit. The Proteas were reduced to just 138 while Australia remained in the hunt with the lead of 218 runs and two more wickets to spare.
The former cricket also called out how the Western media and how they were sympathetic to their batters and their lack of defensive technique in English conditions.
“You would have seen these headlines from The Telegraph to The Sydney Morning Herald, and you would have felt what you have done.”
“However, when it happens in England, it’s called a sporting pitch, where the batters’ defensive technique has got spoilt as the ball is not moving that much. If the batters’ defensive technique has been spoiled, it’s valid in India as well,” Aakash Chopra added.
Pitches in India have often been criticised for giving an ‘undeniable advantage’ to the Men in Blues. One such instance was back in 2021 in the Ahmedabad Test, where England suffered a crushing defeat in just two days, with the Indian spinners making the most out of the conditions.
Reports also suggested that the England management were mulling over lodging an official complaint as well.
As we head to the final stretch of the WTC finals, we are yet to see how the Lord’s pitch conditions play a key role in deciding the nature of the match and how is able to utilise it to the best extent.
