BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur backs Shastri, Kohli in pitch controversy, says debate "overhyped"

New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur has backed team director Ravi Shastri and Test captain Virat Kohli in the pitch controversy.

Terming the debate over the quality of pitches in the ongoing Test series between India and South Africa as "overhyped", Thakur said there were no problems with the pitches.

"I think the debate on the quality of pitches is overhyped. When a match gets over in two days - maybe in some other part of the world, like Australia in three days - nobody raises that question," he said at the Indian Express Idea Exchange earlier in the week.

"But when we see a lot of drawn matches, like in the last few years, we say nobody will come and watch Test cricket.

The Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh) then invoked Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman to set a right perspective on the standard of the batting in the series.

"I have a question to ask about the Nagpur match. Ask any ex-cricketer, how many players from the two teams played a bad shot? Was there uneven bounce? No. Was there more turn than expected? Yes, maybe.

"What is the criterion for a good pitch and bad pitch? Was the bounce uneven, were there injuries? The ICC has sent us a letter and we will soon reply to that. But I think there is nothing wrong if a Test match finishes on the fourth day or the third day. You should also look at the batting standards. Remember how [Rahul] Dravid, [VVS] Laxman played on these kinds of tracks?," he added.

Besides, Thakur also provided his take on the often discussed "home advantage".

"Nobody questioned the T20 and the ODI games. What about the pitches when South Africa won? But when India won two Test matches, you start raising questions.

"In many parts of the world such as Australia and South Africa, you will see much more bounce. In England, you will see more seam and swing. So how do you compare that? In India and Pakistan, you may see more turning tracks. That is the nature of our pitches, which we call home advantage," he explained.