Former India wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer has suggested that allowing visiting teams an option to bat first could end the entire debate on quality of pitches in cricket, Hindustan Times reported.

Delivering the MAK Pataudi lecture at the BCCI awards function in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Engineer addressed the growing debate about pitches on offer in the sport, and cited the recent pitch used during India’s first Test against Australia in Pune, deemed poor by the ICC as example for his theory.

“The Pune pitch was sub-standard. There is talk about having a neutral curator. I would say the visiting captain should be allowed to bat first,” he said.

India had lost the Pune Test by 333 runs after being bowled out for 105 and 107 during the game.