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India captain Rohit Sharma has criticized the pitch in Indore, stating that surfaces in India are subject to greater scrutiny than anywhere else in the world.
The deck that produced 31 wickets in six and a half sessions in the third Test between India and Australia was rated “poor” by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday.
The match umpire Chris Broad wasted no time in delivering his verdict, with the ICC confirming qualification some seven hours after Australia completed a famous nine-wicket victory before lunch on the third day of the match at Holkar Stadium.
In his report, Broad noted that the field “was very dry [and] it did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favoring spinners from the start.’
Poor pitch ratings cost venues three demerit points, and any pitch that accumulates five demerits over a five-year period risks being banned from hosting international cricket for 12 months.
India captain Rohit Sharma has called the criticism of the pitch in Indore unfair.
The cover at Holkare Stadium was rated ‘poor’ by the ICC after 31 wickets were dropped in just over two days of cricket as Australia pulled off a nine wicket victory.
The pitch was deemed “too dry” and “favored the spinners from the start”, with the spinners claiming that 26 of the 31 wickets fell in just over six sessions.
The pitch in Indore came under heavy criticism after India were bowled out for 109 in under three hours on the opening day of the third Test, with the hosts losing seven wickets in the morning session.
Australia took a nine-wicket victory before lunch on the third day, becoming only the third team to win a Test in India in the last decade.
Sharma, however, insisted that India’s dismal performance in Indore had more to do with Nathan Lyon’s brilliant bowling than the bowling after t.Australian roulette finished with match numbers of 11 for 99.
He also noted that Cheteshwar Pujara and Usman Khawaja did not appear concerned on the surface, with the Indian star making a gutsy 59 in the second innings and the Australian opener racking up 60 on his first dig.
“This pitch talk is becoming too much,” he said.
‘Every time you play in India, you just focus on the pitch. Why don’t people ask me about Nathan Lyon and how well he bowled, how well [Cheteshwar] Pujara hit, how well Usman Khawaja played.
“We focus too much on the pitch here in India and I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Speaking on Fox Cricket on Wednesday, Matthew Hayden and Mark Waugh were scathing critics of the surface, describing the pitch in Indore as “not up to scratch” for Test cricket.
Of the 31 wickets that fell in Indore, 26 were taken by spinners. But far from having a problem with the deck, Sharma insisted that the surface was exactly the kind of effects-friendly surface his team liked.
‘Former cricketers, I don’t think they played on pitches like this.
‘These are the kind of fields we want to play on, this is our strength. When you play at home, always play with your strength. Spin bowling and batting depth are our forte.
Nathan Lyon tore through India’s batting line-up and finished with 11 wickets in the match
Sharma (middle) insisted that decks that facilitate effects were exactly what his team wanted.
‘Everybody uses that home advantage, so what’s wrong with that? We have to do that too. Especially when we are getting results. If we didn’t get the results, I would think otherwise.
“But we are playing well, getting the results we want.”
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar echoed Sharma’s stance, saying the ground in Indore would not have been so criticized if it had been in a different country.
‘One thing I would like to know, there was this test match in November in Brisbane [at the] Gabba, where the match ended in two days,’ he told India Today.
‘How many demerit points did that shot get and who was the referee for the game there?’
Australia wrapped up a six wicket victory against South Africa in two days under ridiculous circumstances on a Gabba green wicket in November last year.
Played for 152 on the first day, the tourists went for 99 shortly after tea on the second day, leaving Australia needing 34 to win and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Travis Head and South African wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne were the only two players to achieve a half-century, with a staggering 34 wickets in less than six sessions in Brisbane.
Gabba curator David Sandurski later admitted that the surface was not up to Test cricket’s requirements.
Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar (left) has dismissed criticism of the pitch in Indore, suggesting the pitch at the Gabba in November last year was even worse.
Brisbane’s cover came under fire after 34 wickets fell in less than six sessions during the opening Test of Australia’s series against South Africa in November.
Bowling just 144.2 overs in the four innings, the Test was the first on Australian soil to be over in two days since the West Indies were defeated in Melbourne in 1931.
“The proof is in the pudding,” he said. news corporation.
‘The scorecards are there. You can not deny it. Obviously not good enough for a match of this magnitude.
‘Obviously I’m disappointed. Nobody wants to have a two-day trial. All signs in the build up pointed to it being a reasonable wicket.