Sunil Gavaskar in action (Courtesy: BCCI/Twitter)

Sunil Gavaskar took a cue from Team India captain Rohit Sharma and slammed English media for criticizing spin-friendly Indian pitches over the years. His comments came before India hosts England in a five-match Test series, starting on January 25.

Team India will host England in Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi and Dharmasala, where spinners are expected to dominate the game. Gavaskar is of the opinion that if Team India dominates the series, then the English media will start crying foul over the pitches.

“In about three weeks time another Test series starts with a country that has the biggest whingeing and moaning media in sport. Anything that doesn’t suit their team will be criticised and allegations will fly thick and fast,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for Mid-Day.

Gavaskar backed the Indian captain as he did not criticize the Newlands pitch which received an “unsatisfactory”  rating after India and South Africa dished out the shortest Test match in history.

The former India batter turned commentator highlighted that the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) nations arrive in India to criticize the pitches and do not take it as a challenge, like Sharma & co. did in the recently concluded South Africa tour.

“He (Rohit Sharma) also said that please don’t start questioning the pitch when the ball starts turning on Day One in India,” the 74-year-old wrote in his column.

“Of course, he is asking for the impossible because as we have seen ever since India became a power in the sport and rightfully began to assert itself in the ICC boardrooms, there has been a concerted effort to denigrate it by those from the Old Powers. They arrive with an agenda and come what may, will dish out stories for getting the brownie points at home,” he added.