IND vs AUS: BCCI Under Scrutiny, ICC Rates Indore Pitch Poor


image-lesjh5ldICC reprimands BCCI for poor Indore pitch (AP Photo)

The pitches offered in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2023) have been a point of concern for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). All three Test matches ended within three days, with pitches spinning sharply throughout the course of the game. 

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian lineup showed a way to bat in the conditions presented in Nagpur and Delhi, but even the mighty home team failed to counter spinners at a doctored strip of Indore.

In Indore's Holkar Stadium, the average spin on Day 1 of the Test match between India and Australia was 4.8°, when the former got rattled out on 109 inside the first two sessions of the match. 

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reprimanded the BCCI and the state association - Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association - for offering abysmal playing conditions for an international match.

"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," the ICC said in a media release.

The plan backfired on India as they failed to put their best foot forward, and Australia put a substantial score in the first innings, all thanks to Usman Khawaja’s 60. It was followed by brilliant bowling from Matthew Kuhnemann and Nathan Lyon.

Of late, it has become a trend where the Indian board has been letting the state association present poor pitches. The last four Test matches played in India have been rated poorly.

The Nagpur and Delhi pitches were average as per the ICC rating, whereas the conditions at the Bangalore Test against Sri Lanka were below average.

ICC per ICC, a venue will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for 12 months if it accumulates five or more demerit points over a five-year rolling period.

Speaking on the pitch, Match Referee Chris Broad said: "The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start."

"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."

The Nagpur and Delhi pitches were average as per the ICC rating, whereas the conditions at the Bangalore Test against Sri Lanka were below average.

Meanwhile, India have registered their only second defeat at Indore after losing to Australia in 2017. The visitors, on the other hand, have officially qualified for the WTC 2023 Final after upsetting the Rohit Sharma-led team at home.