Sunil Gavaskar praises 'top-class' IPL pitches prepared so far

With the Indian Premier League now in full swing, Sunil Gavaskar, the former India skipper has come out with a few positives from his ‘bird’s eye view’ from the haven of the commentary box. While there have indeed been a few critics, the extravaganza has turned out to be something of a blessing for many who have long awaited the tournament’s commencement. However, one thing that has indeed caught Gavaskar’s eye is the wickets that have been prepared for these games.

Writing in his column for the Times of India, Gavaskar went ahead and stated that the pitches have been ‘top-class’, something that has catered to all forms of the game. There has been some purchase for the bowlers while the batsmen have also revealed in their form. Gavaskar also went on to add that the IPL was indeed a unique tournament.

‘It is these touch and go situations that has made this format such a popular one in an age where the attention span of individuals has shrunk considerably. What also makes the IPL unique is that the fan gets to see all aspects of the game in fast forward.’

‘There is quality fast bowling, top-class spin bowling, aggressive batting with some wonderful creative shots and the spectator, be it at the ground or on TV gets entertained thoroughly. The pitches also have been top-class so far and that’s a huge reason for the quality of cricket that’s been seen so far,’ he said.

The one problem Gavaskar does have

While there have been several positives, the former Indian batsman went ahead and pointed out the negative aspect of the ordeal stating that the over-rates are being affected by captains who do indeed take a lot of time on their tactics. A few skippers in the IPL have been guilty of the same with Ravi Ashwin and Dinesh Karthik being a few examples of the same.

‘The Umpires need to come in to stop skippers taking too much time, for it interrupts the flow of the game and while that may be a tactical thing to do, it does not help the paying spectator at all. He wants to see action all the time and he is the one that has to be thought of more than who should bowl the final over of the innings.’

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