Sunil Gavaskar . (Photo Source: WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)
The first T20I of the ongoing series between South Africa and India was abandoned after rain played spoilsport, rendering the pitch unworthy of conducting a game. Both teams were slated to play the game at Kingsmead Stadium on Sunday, December 10.
It is worth noting that just the series against the Men in Blue is expected to earn more than a billion rand ($53 million) for Cricket South Africa (CSA), which will come mainly from TV rights. However, a rainy start to the series proved to be an early setback for the Proteas.
Speaking of the same, former Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar took centre stage and scrutinised the preparation of CSA for the first T20I in Durban. The 74-year-old talked of how the entire ground was not covered when rain came in the first T20I.
“If the ground remains uncovered and the rain stops, you know it doesn’t start for another hour. Suddenly, it rains again. So there’s no play whatsoever. Everybody (cricket boards) is getting a lot of money. Let’s make no mistake. All the cricket boards have plenty of money. If they say they don’t, they are lying. They might not have as much money as the BCCI. Fair enough. But every board has got money to buy these covers to cover the entire ground,” Gavaskar told Star Sports.
Let’s have no excuse: Gavaskar
Gavaskar also came forward to heap praise on former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, mentioning Kolkata’s Eden Gardens, which is the only stadium in India to have a fully covered rain management system.
“What the boards need to do now is cover the entire ground. Let’s have no excuse. I remember I think there was one Test match at Eden Gardens called where there was some problem at the game didn’t start. The next game, Eden Gardens had the entire ground covered. That is the kind of initiative that you want to have. Sourav Ganguly was the man in charge, and he made sure that nobody could point the finger at Eden Gardens,” Gavaskar said.