IND vs AUS: Experts' verdict on the controversial Indore pitch
India suffered a nine-wicket defeat to Australia in the third Test at the Holkar Stadium, Indore. But more than the result, the pitch has been the talking point. The Indore pitch started turning from Day 1 and even the bounce was uneven, which garnered major criticism from experts and fans. The ICC declared the pitch as 'poor', with the venue receiving three demerit points.
Why does this story matter?
The pitches have been a major point of discussion in the ongoing series. While the previous noise was mostly from the Australian media, the Indore track was criticized by several Indian experts as well. As many as 26 out of 31 wickets were taken by spinners. The match, hence, got concluded in the morning session of Day 3.
What did ICC say?
"The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favoring spinners from the start," match referee Chris Broad stated in a statement. "The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match."
Sashtri and Gavaskar slam Indian batters
Former Indian players, Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar slammed the Indian batters for their overconfidence and complacency. "This is what a little complacency, a little bit of overconfidence can do where you take things for granted, you drop guard and this game will bring you down," Shastri said. "Batters actually didn't do justice to their talent," Gavaskar reiterated.
Opinions on the pitch
"Biggest takeaway from this game is something you already knew. On normal turning tracks, India are very difficult to beat. But exaggerated tracks equalize skills and give the other team a chance," Harsha Bhogle tweeted. "I definitely think the pitches have been poor for the series, to be totally honest, and obviously the Indore one was the worst of the three," Mark Taylor opined.
Here is Bhogle's post!
How did the match pan out?
India opted to bat first and got bundled out for 109 with Matthew Kuhnemann picking 5/16. In reply, the Aussies scored 197 courtesy of a brilliant Usman Khawaja(60) innings. India under pressure could only manage 163 as Cheteshwar Pujara (59) was the saving grace. Nathan Lyon was the star with 8/64. While chasing 76, Travis Head(49) and Marnus Labuschagne (28) steered the visitors home.
