"We're not moaners" - Indian legend's brutal dig at pitch critics after 15 wickets fall on Day 2 of 5th BGT 2024-25 Test

Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar questioned the silence of former Australian and England players after 15 wickets fell on Day 2 of the India vs Australia Sydney Test on Saturday, January 4. While praising the visitors for not complaining about the surface, he opined that there would have been a lot of hue and cry if 15 wickets had fallen in a day in a Test match in India.

The SCG Test is headed for an early finish after bowlers dominated Day 2 of the contest. Resuming their first innings on 9-1 in response to India's first innings total of 185, Australia were bowled out for 181. The hosts, however, hit back to reduce India to 141-6 by close of play.

Speaking on ABC Grandstand Radio, Gavaskar, for the second day in a row, took a dig at former England and Australian players while sharing his thoughts on the grassy surface in Sydney. He said (as quoted by The Times of India):

"If 15 wickets fell [on one day] in India, all hell would have broken loose. We had Glenn McGrath saying he'd never seen so much grass. Did you hear any former India cricketer moan about the pitch? "When we go out and play cricket we will toughen it out. And if we are beaten, we are beaten. Overseas it's very difficult to beat home teams."

"Former English and Australian cricketers all time talk about the Indian pitches and conditions. We're not moaners, we're not whingers. You'll never find us complaining, but 15 wickets in a day in India, there would be hell," Gavaskar went on to add.

According to the 75-year-old former India captain, the Sydney surface is not ideal for Test cricket. He also opined that the match wouldn't go into Day 4 unless there were some rain interruptions. Gavaskar elaborated:

"I did say that when we saw the pitch yesterday, the cows could have gone and grazed on it. This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth and fifth day. Unless there is rain I don't see us being here on day four."

India will begin Day 3 of the SCG Test, with Ravindra Jadeja unbeaten on eight and Washington Sundar on six. The visitors have a lead of 145 runs, with four second innings wickets in hand.

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Rishabh Pant lifts India after another batting collapse

Having gained a slender four-run first-innings lead, India got off to another poor start in the second innings and were four down for 78. Rishabh Pant then slammed a breathtaking 61 off 33 balls to lift the visitors. The left-hander smashed six fours and four sixes before being dismissed by Pat Cummins.

Scott Boland again starred for the Aussies with the ball. He dismissed KL Rahul (12), Yashasvi Jaiswal (22), Virat Kohli (6), and Nitish Kumar Reddy (4) to end the day with excellent figures of 4-42 from 13 overs.