'Don’t Be Surprised If...' Aakash Chopra’s Reply To Pakistan Ex-Cricketer's World Cup Pitch Query

Former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez triggered a massive row on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, by criticising the pitches being made for the World Cup 2023, held in India.

Hafeez’s claims did not go down well with former Indian batter Aakash Chopra. Sharing Hafeez’s social media post, the cricketer-turned-commentator wrote, “Brother, the square at Chennai (and at many other stadia in India) have pitches made with different soil now. Red-Black and mixed. As you’d know…pitches made with different soil component will play differently. Therefore, don’t be surprised if the pitches behave radically different at the same venue throughout the World Cup.”

Mohammad Hafeez had suggested that the characteristics of the Chepauk pitch in Chennai, designed for the World Cup fixture between New Zealand and Bangladesh, will determine whether the tournament is actually being organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) or does the Borad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have say in a matter like this.

For the unversed, both New Zealand-Bangladesh and India-Australia contests were held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

“At first, tomorrow the decision will be made whether the tournament is being organized by the ICC or the BCCI. Till now, there are three venues where two matches have been played – Hyderabad, Delhi, and Dharamsala. The pitch conditions were similar and it behaved similarly in both games. If the pitch is the same in Chennai, which was used for India vs Australia, then it’s understandable. But if there are slight changes, you can understand who is organizing the tournament,” Hafeez told Pakistan media outlet PTV Sports.

Later, Hafeez compared the pitches made for the New Zealand-Bangladesh game and that of between India and Australia. He even went on to suggest that questions will certainly be raised for making two different pitches at the same venue.

Both India and New Zealand went on to conquer their respective World Cup matches held in Chennai. The Kiwis have kicked off their World Cup 2023 campaign on a promising note having won their first three matches. They are currently placed on top of the World Cup points table.

In their next World Cup clash, India will be up against arch-rivals Pakistan today. The high voltage World Cup fixture between India and Pakistan is scheduled to be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The two Asian giants will be aiming to keep their winning record intact today in Ahmedabad.