[World Cup 2023] “I’ll Answer This In English As…”: Rahul Dravid On ICC’s Average Pitch Ratings

The ODI World Cup 2023 is going on in full swing. Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rated a couple of pitches on which the Indian team played in the ongoing World Cup ‘average’.

In Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad Pakistan was bowled out for 191, and in Chennai India shot Australia out for 199 – both surfaces aided the slower bowlers and the Indian cricket team was able to get assistance on both of them while the batters chased them down comfortably in the end.

But the Indian team Head Coach Rahul Dravid disagreed with the ICC saying that only the pitches producing high-scoring matches should be rated good.

Rahul Dravid On ICC’s Average Pitch Ratings

During the pre-match press conference ahead of India’s World Cup 2023 match against New Zealand, Dravid was asked about the pitches ranked as ‘average’ by ICC, responding to which he said:

“Main definitely, respectfully disagree karunga. Vo good wickets they.(I will definitely, respectfully, disagree with the average rating given for those two wickets.) I’ll answer this in English because I might get myself into trouble!” Dravid said as the press room broke into laughter.

“I will definitely respectfully disagree with the average rating given for those two wickets. I think they were good wickets. If you only want to see 350 (run) games and rate only those wickets as good, then I disagree with that. I think, you have to see different skills on display as well,”

“It’s not about if we wanted to see only 4s and 6s being hit, then we have T20 wickets as well, where, honestly, in Delhi or in Pune, probably 350-plus wickets as well. Only those are good wickets, then why are the bowlers here? Why have spinners at all, for that matter?”

Further, Dravid said that an ODI game is all about showing different skills of players and not just hitting. He said:

“I disagree with that (just hitting) because I think we should see all skills on display, the ability to rotate strike through the middle. See the quality of watching (Ravindra) Jadeja bowl or a (Mitchell) Santner bowl or a (Adam) Zampa bowl or watching Kane Williamson rotate the strike through the middle, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul the way they batted against Australia. Those are skills as well. Those also need to come out and be shown and be displayed,”

He added: “Some of the wickets, even we have played, I mean, honestly, in Delhi and Pune, rotating the strike in the middle overs wasn’t necessarily a very difficult skill. The contest was about who could hit more 4s and 6s. So that’s not the only way, in my opinion, respectfully, to be able to judge wickets. I think we need to have a better way of deciding what is good and average.”

“Sometimes wickets will turn a bit, sometimes they will seam a bit, they will swing a bit, they will bounce a bit. All we want to see is sixes and fours being hit in 350 scores as good wickets, then I disagree,”