Sharma tells pitch critics to ‘keep mouths shut’

India captain Rohit Sharma has told critics of sub-continent pitches to “keep their mouths shut,” blasting what he believes are double standards in the sport.

After achieving the quickest win in Test history, Sharma stated that there should be consistency in how match referees rate pitches.

India beat South Africa by seven wickets in the second Test at Newlands in a match that took only 107 overs and was completed on the second afternoon.

Conditions were treacherous for batsmen from the first morning when South Africa was bowled out for 55 on a surface with inconsistent bounce, pace, and considerable seam movement.

“We saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played,” said Sharma.

“I honestly don’t mind playing on pitches like this as long as everyone keeps their mouths shut in India and don’t talk too much about Indian pitches.”

Sharma said he still couldn’t believe that the pitch for last year’s World Cup final in Ahmedabad — where his team were defeated by Australia — was rated below average.

“The ICC, the match referees, need to start rating pitches on what they see, not based on the countries. Honestly, I would like to see how the pitches are rated.”

Sharma said it was a reality that pitches in India tended to help spin bowling, but this seemed to be more of an issue than excessive seam movement. He urged match referees to “stay neutral.”

Chris Broad was the match referee for the Test, and his rating on the pitch will have to be submitted to the International Cricket Council before it is made public.