Rohit Sharma's top 10 thug life moments

7. Reply on spin-friendly surfaces during India versus England Test Series 2020-21

In 2021, when England toured India, the visitors registered a 227-run victory over the hosts in the opening Test at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Following that defeat, India confronted England again in the second Test at the same venue. Taking advantage of being the hosts, India turned the Chennai pitch into a turning surface that proved lethal for England batters.

Riding on superb bowling performances from Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel, India hit back on England in the series with their massive 317-run win. Rohit also notched up 161 runs from his bat in this win. After India’s sensational success, former players Mark Waugh and Michael Vaughan criticised groundsmen for creating a spin-friendly track. Vaughan also stated that the surface didn’t deserve to host a Test match.

Before the third Test of the series in Ahmedabad, Rohit was asked about the criticism of the pitch during a virtual press conference. Replying to the question, Rohit said that the pitch is the same for both sides but he doesn’t understand why the topic is raised every time. He also added that the home advantage isn’t a new thing in international cricket. 

"The pitch is the same for both teams, so I don't know why there is so much discussion about it. Pitches have been prepared like this in India for years." "Every side takes advantage of home conditions even when we travel. When we travel they (opponents) make our life difficult.

"We need to go with our team's preference. That's the meaning of home advantage, otherwise, just take it away and the ICC should come up with a uniform rule everywhere for pitches. When we go abroad, people make our life difficult.