Kohli criticizes ICC over pitch rating
India's Test captain Virat Kohli took a dig at the ICC, which rated the Nagpur wicket as "poor". He also asked why nothing gets written when teams get out for under 50-100 runs on South African pitches. Shooting back at media reports on pitches, Kohli said that it was an opinion of someone and he doesn't relate to it, understand it or entertain it.
India clinches test series over South Africa
India clinched the four-match test series against South Africa by taking a 2-0 lead with an emphatic 124-run win in the third cricket Test. Virat Kohli's first Test series win as captain on home soil ended South Africa's record of not losing an away Test series for nine years.
Pitch criticism following Nagpur test
In the third Ind-SA test, 33 of the 40 wickets fell to spinners. The match narrative prompted strong criticism of the pitch conditions. Australian cricketer Glen Maxwell and former England captain Michael Vaughan called the pitch 'diabolical'. Matthew Hayden tweeted "Disappointed to see the quality of Test cricket reduced to what we are witnessing." Hasim Amla called the Nagpur pitch the toughest he played.
Shastri hits back at critics
India team director Ravi Shastri hit back at the criticism directed towards the pitch conditions. Referring to the comments made by Hayden and Maxwell, Shastri said, "Let them sit in Australia and talk about their pitches. Tell them not to waste their time about Indian tracks. Come and play here." Shastri also reiterated that there was nothing wrong with the pitch.
ICC's pitch and outfield monitoring process
ICC's pitch and outfield monitoring process states a pitch to be poor if: It offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match; Displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match; Offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match or displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match.
Nagpur pitch rated as 'poor'
The Nagpur pitch, where the third Test was played between India and South Africa, was given a "poor" rating by the match referee, Jeff Crowe, in his report. The report has been submitted to the ICC, and the BCCI, which has been informed of the rating, now has 14 days to respond. The report will lead to review of the Nagpur pitch's performance
Penalty for poor pitch
The penalty for a pitch that is called poor for the first time, as would be the case for Nagpur, can range from a warning and/or a fine of $15,000 with a directive to institute corrective measures.
