India, Nov. 21 -- Ravichandran Ashwin took aim at what he called the "double standards" of global cricket voices, contrasting the uproar over India's three-day Test defeat to South Africa in Kolkata with the muted reaction to a dramatic opening day of the Ashes in Perth, where 19 wickets fell in just 72 overs.

The Kolkata surface at Eden Gardens came under heavy fire earlier this month after 15 wickets tumbled on Day 1 and the match wrapped up inside three days, with India failing to chase 124 in the fourth innings. Former players - including ex-England captain Michael Vaughan, who labelled the pitch "awful" - accused India of preparing surfaces that turned too early and skewed contests unfairly toward spinners.

Ashwin, watching the fre...