“Hypocrisy is mind-boggling”: Virender Sehwag slams critics of shortest Test matches ever with results in India

A two-day Test match between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane hasn’t ruffled enough feathers as it would’ve done had it been played in India according to legendary batter Virender Sehwag. Swashbuckling batter in his time, Sehwag exercised the same manner on social media platform Twitter after the recently concluded first Test of South Africa’s tour of Australia 2022.

Sehwag’s comments came in the wake of Australia-South Africa match becoming the eighth-shortest Test (by balls bowled) with a result. As many as 34 wickets falling in less than six sessions formed the recipe of the second-shortest Test match played in Australia.

Known for its fast wicket, an ultra-green surface at the Gabba made lives difficult for batters of both the teams. Had Australia’s Travis Head and Steven Smith not joined hand for a brisk 138-ball 117-run fourth-wicket partnership yesterday, the hosts might have ended up on the losing side especially after considering the way in which they lost four wickets before sealing a 34-run target in the fourth innings.

Virender Sehwag slams critics of shortest Test matches ever with results in India

Sehwag, 44, slammed critics for pointing out different manners to prepare Test match pitches in India whilst keeping shut when matches of short duration are played outside of the Indian sub-continent.

Seventh-shortest Test with a result, last year’s India-England match in Ahmedabad remained a talking point for the cricketing fraternity around the world in these two days.

One of the 24 Tests to get to a result on the second day itself, that match had witnessed only 24 less deliveries than the latest one. Having said that, the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium had received far more condemnation than the one at Gabba.

Over the years, there has been no dearth in narratives being pushed with respect to spin-friendly wickets killing Test cricket due to early finishes. It is indeed a hypocrisy of the highest level that the same voices aren’t heard when pace-friendly wickets force early finishes. In all honesty, any kind of pitch which doesn’t allow a fair contest between the bat and ball is detrimental to five-day cricket.