'Nobody would talk about pitches if...': Sanjay Manjrekar's jibe at Rohit Sharma

The second Test match played between India and England in Chennai ignited a debate over the quality of the pitch as spin started to take effect from the very first ball of the game. Former England cricketer Michael Vaughan had heavily criticised the Chennai pitch for being a turner. Indian opener Rohit Sharma, who scored a fine century at Chepauk, slammed the critics, saying experts should discuss the performances and techniques of cricketers rather than talking about pitches.

Read: Need To Be Extra Cautious And Focussed While Batting During Twilight Phase: Rohit On Pink Ball Test

'We were all just...'

Now, former Indian cricketer, Sanjay Manrekar has joined critics in lambasting the Chennai pitch. Manjrekar took to Twitter, in what appears to be a jibe at Rohit Sharma, saying nobody would be talking about pitches if it doesn't start "exploding" 30 minutes into a 5-Day Test match. Manjrekar reminded Rohit of the famous 2001 Test match between India and Australia, saying everyone was just talking about players' performances back then and not pitches. 

Rohit targeted the critics and said that debates should be on the performances and not on the pitches as it's the same for both sides. "When we play overseas, we never speak about the pitches. We are happy with the result and move on. Everyone should do the same, especially experts. Talk about the cricket, not the pitches," Sharma had said in an online press conference. 

Although Chennai's pitch did look a spin-friendly surface, players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravi Ashwin showed that scoring runs was still possible as did England's Ben Foakes in the first innings and Moeen Ali in second. The match in Chennai saw nearly 80% of overs being bowled by spinners, which was the most in a Test in India since 2012. Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked up his 29th fifer in Test cricket.

Read: Virat Kohli & Co. Sweat It Out At Motera Ahead Of High-voltage D/N Test Against England

As far as the match is concerned, India beat England by a huge margin of 317 runs levelling the four-match series at 1-1. Rohit Sharma scored 161 runs in the first innings helping India post 329 runs on board. India bowled out England for just 134 runs and took the pitch for the second innings posting 286 with the help of Ashwin's amazing century. India then restricted England for 164 runs to win the match. 

Read: Cheteshwar Pujara Says Chepauk Wicket For 2nd Test VS England Was Not A 'dangerous' One

Read: Umesh Yadav To Undergo Fitness Test In A Few Days; India Eye To Field 3 Pacers At Motera