"Most of the times it’s opposite" - Shreevats Goswami feels there shouldn't by any pitch reports in IPL 2024
Former cricketer Shreevats Goswami has questioned the reliability of the pitch reports and suggested that the segment should be scrapped in the future.
Goswami pointed out how the surface used for the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was expected to be a high-scoring one, as per the pitch report. The 34-year-old reckoned that the pitch, more often than not, plays out opposite to what is predicted in the report.
The CSK vs KKR clash ended up being a low-scoring encounter, with Kolkata finishing at 137/9 in 20 overs on the slow pitch. Opining that it isn't easy to judge the wicket before actually playing on it, Goswami wrote on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter):
"Cricket can do away with pitch reports. Most of the times it’s opposite.reportedly it was suppose to be a 200+ game and how do you even judge a pitch without playing on it . I personally never could read a pitch before the match . That also could be because I wasn’t good enough."
Kolkata's unbeaten run in IPL 2024 came to an end as Chennai chased down the total in the 18th over to clinch a seven-wicket victory. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 67 off 58 balls. Ravindra Jadeja was named the Player of the Match for his fantastic three-wicket haul.
"I feel it’s overrated at times" - Shreevats Goswami on strike rate being the prime focus in T20 cricket
Shreevats Goswami also shared his take on the chatter over the strike rates of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Hardik Pandya. He highlighted that the match situation also needs to be taken into account before slamming batters for their scoring rates.
He noted how Ruturaj Gaikwad's knock against KKR won't be criticized as he played according to the conditions. Shreevats Goswami wrote on X:
"Citing Rituraj Gaikwad’s inns as example today . 50 off 45 balls ! People talk a lot about 'strike rates' and I feel it’s overrated at times . Everybody crictices Kohli / Rohit / Pandya etc for thier strike rate at times .people who have slight experience of playing this game know very well that 'situation' is top priority in this game and that is why Gaikwad’s inns won’t be criticised for slow strike rate . We tend to forget that bowlers / pitch / score / situations / conditions are major part of the game and not just batting & strike rate . Situation over anything - that’s cricket."
Shreevats Goswami has played for teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He announced his retirement from first-class cricket in October 2023.