Rohit Sharma’s cheeky dig at Australian media over talk of 'doctored' pitches: “Just focus on cricket and not the pitch”

Team India captain Rohit Sharma has brushed aside reports from a section of the Australian media, claiming that the pitch for the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Nagpur has been "doctored." Reacting to the allegations, he stated that the focus should be on cricket since 22 quality players will battle it out on the field.

While the surface for the opening Test to be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur has been a matter of intense debate over the last week, talks around the pitch heated up on the eve of the Test.

Australian media shared pictures of Nagpur's surface and cried foul, alleging that ‘multi-preparing’ parts of the deck is equal to pitch doctoring. Former Aussie all-rounder Simon O’Donnell even urged the ICC to step in and look into the matter.

At a pre-match conference on Wednesday, February 8, Rohit responded to the controversy in his inimitable style. He commented:

“Just focus on cricket and not the pitch. After all the 22 guys out there are all quality players.”

Asked about his expectations from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Rohit asserted that he is looking forward to a challenging contest. The Indian captain said:

“We have four solid test matches to play in the BGT and we would want to win the series. It is going to be a challenging series and we have to be up for it. Preparation is the key. If you prepare well, you get results.”

The Nagpur pitch could prove testy for the Aussie left-handers....

#INDvAUS https://t.co/fbmN0nFsbX

India have won the last three editions of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia previously visited India for a Test series in 2016-17. They won the first Test in Pune but eventually went down 1-2.

“Everyone has a different method” - Rohit Sharma on tackling spin

A pre-match discussion on a Test series in India is incomplete without bringing the spin factor into play. Asked for his views on the importance of tackling spinners, Rohit said:

“It is important to have a plan and figure a way. Everyone has a different method. Some like to sweep some reverse some hitting over the bowler. You need to rotate strike and sometimes you need to counterattack.

"The captains would obviously try different things and change fields and bowlers. So you need to plan and play accordingly.”

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🎥 Snippets from #TeamIndia's headshots session ahead of the #INDvAUS Test series! 👌 👌 https://t.co/sQ6QIxSLjm

The first Test against Australia in Nagpur, which starts on Thursday, will be the Indian captain’s first red-ball game since the Test match against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru in March 2022.