A total of 15 wickets fell on day two of the ongoing BGT Test in Sydney, and Sunil Gavaskar wasn’t having any of it. The former India captain tore into the lush green SCG pitch, where seamers across both camps enjoyed success. While Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna picked three wickets each for India, Scott Boland impressed everyone with four wickets thus far in the second innings.

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Speaking on an exciting day of cricket, which leaves the game well-poised, Gavaskar came down hard on how the media reacted to the second day’s play, mentioning that had 15 wickets fallen on a day during a Test in India, everyone would have lost their minds, including the Australians and Englishmen.

Also read | BGT: SCG Test hangs in balance after Pant’s whirlwind knock on day 2

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“Former (Australian and English cricketers are) all the time talking about Indian pitches and conditions. We are not moaners; we are not whiners. You will never find us complaining. But 15 wickets in a day in India; man, there would be hell,” Gavaskar said during a chat with ABC Sport following day two play in Sydney.

Referring to Glenn McGrath’s comments on the SCG pitch before the game even began, who said he’d never seen so much grass in Sydney, Gavaskar pointed out how no one would ever see anyone from the Indian camp and broadcasters complaining about the surface, knowing how tough it is to win outside of Asia .

Great day for pacers

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Batters struggled on day two, even the best of them. While Aussie debutant Beau Webster scored his maiden Test fifty, hitting 57, Rishabh Pant made headlines for his whirlwind knock of 61 off 33 balls, including four fours and six sixes. 

However, bowlers were the ones who made merry on this track. Boland struck gold up front for the hosts, removing both openers and Virat Kohli off wicket-taking balls, while Shubman Gill’s dismissal had more to do with his mistake.

Pant got a good wider one from captain Cummins, while Boland’s brilliance accounted for Nitish Kumar Reddy for his third single-digit score since his maiden Test hundred.

"If 15 wickets fell [on one day] in India, all hell would have broken loose. We had Glenn McGrath saying he'd never seen so much grass. Did you hear any former India cricketer moan about the pitch?" Gavaskar said. "When we go out and play cricket, we will toughen it out. And if we are beaten, we are beaten. Overseas, it's very difficult to beat home teams.

"I did say that when we saw the pitch yesterday, the cows could have gone and grazed on it.

"This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth and fifth day. Unless there is rain, I don't see us being here on day four,” he continued. 

Meanwhile, as things stand, India is 141 for six, leading by 145 runs, with three days of cricket remaining. 

(With inputs from agencies)