'The pitch in Newlands was...' - Cricket Governing Body announces verdict about Newlands pitch after Indian skipper Rohit Sharma publicly called out authorities

The surface at the Newlands in Cape Town was under scrutiny and the centre of a lot of debates and discussions for the last couple of days. It all started after the second and last Test of the two-match series between South Africa and India ended only within a day and a half at this surface, with India winning the match by 7 wickets.

However, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma took centerstage in the post-match press conference to publicly criticize the different approaches of the top authorities while assessing the pitches of the sub-continent in comparison to the pitches in SENA countries.

Here's what match referee Chris Broad said about Newlands' pitch

But now, the entire debate has come to a rest as the Cricket Governing Body announced its verdict after the match referee Chris Broad submitted his ratings to the apex body. Broad rated the Newlands’ surface as ‘unsatisfactory’, on which SA and India played the second Test. The apex body also handed over 1 demerit point to the Newlands’ pitch after the ‘unsatisfactory’ rating from match referee Chris Broad.

“The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on. The ball bounced quickly and sometimes alarmingly throughout the match, making it difficult to play shots. Several batters were hit on the gloves and many wickets also fell due to the awkward bounce,” Broad was quoted as saying in the official press release of the Cricket Governing Body. 

"I don't mind as long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India." - Rohit Sharma about Newlands' pitch

Earlier, just after the conclusion of the match, the furious Indian skipper Rohit Sharma came with a very strong statement on being asked about the surface of the Newlands.

"I mean, we saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played and stuff like that. I honestly don't mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and doesn't talk too much about Indian pitches, honestly,” said Rohit in the post-match presentation after India defeated the hosts by 7 wickets in the Cape Town Test to equal the series by 1-1.