[PICTURES] Accusations of 'pitch doctoring' emerge ahead of the 1st Test between India and Australia

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Gems like this post makes me wish India still played test cricket with Pakistan.

He didn't say anything wrong. Not sure what has Pakistan got to do with his opinion? He is an Indian fan too.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Don't know/care what nationality are you buddy. My post was for everyone here not just you.

So perhaps being the most dominant home team in cricket history (in addition to being the best travelling team in that period) is nothing to talk about in your books. Ok, everyone has an opinion I guess.

BTW look who's calling who delusional!

Best travelling team in that period without even winning any series in NZ, SA and Eng? Ever heard about 'andho mein kana raja'?

 

[Saurav]

Harbhajan and Kumble didn't create impact even close to what Ashwin and Jadeja are doing and that's because pitches in those days were flat and only seldom doctored. In 34 matches they played together in India, they won 14 and drew 14. Had those played most of their matches on the pitches where Ashwin/Jadeja are bowling, Kumble would have finished with 200 more wickets. The current Indian pitches are absolute joke, fine they can win but this is no legacy, nothing to remember about. Any Indian spinner who plays on such pitches will end up with similar stats to the duo. Look at Axar, who we couldn't get to bowl even against Bangladesh in T20 wc is having an average of 14 in Indian test matches.

so how are these guys performing with bat too?

Jadeja averages 48 in India in last 5 years. What he'd on 'fair' pitches?

 

[BreadPakoda]

Harbhajan and Kumble didn't create impact even close to what Ashwin and Jadeja are doing and that's because pitches in those days were flat and only seldom doctored. In 34 matches they played together in India, they won 14 and drew 14. Had those played most of their matches on the pitches where Ashwin/Jadeja are bowling, Kumble would have finished with 200 more wickets. The current Indian pitches are absolute joke, fine they can win but this is no legacy, nothing to remember about. Any Indian spinner who plays on such pitches will end up with similar stats to the duo. Look at Axar, who we couldn't get to bowl even against Bangladesh in T20 wc is having an average of 14 in Indian test matches.

Kumble averaged 36 outside India and harbhajan 39

Jadeja and Ashwin average 32 and 34 respectively

Wait, are other teams also tailoring pitches for our spinners? Lol

 

[Sir Alex]

I am surprised that Fox didn't come up with new conspiracy theories today. Jadeja did take a break mid innings and went to the dressing room.

 

[happydavy]

Kumble averaged 36 outside India and harbhajan 39

Jadeja and Ashwin average 32 and 34 respectively

Wait, are other teams also tailoring pitches for our spinners? Lol

Stats speak for themselves. None of them with average in mid 30s had much of impact outside Asia. Comparing 2 sets of ordinary statistics only define which was one (Ashwin vs Harbhajan) was worse than the other, it doesn't put anyone on any pedestal.

 

[happydavy]

so how are these guys performing with bat too?

Jadeja averages 48 in India in last 5 years. What he'd on 'fair' pitches?

Jadeja is a very very good batsman, no question about it.

 

[happydavy]

Don't know/care what nationality are you buddy. My post was for everyone here not just you.

So perhaps being the most dominant home team in cricket history (in addition to being the best travelling team in that period) is nothing to talk about in your books. Ok, everyone has an opinion I guess.

BTW look who's calling who delusional!

If you don't care about nationality then why commented about Pakistan when i commented on the ongoing India vs Aus match? I am a more patriotic indian than you but these meaningless victories on third grade pitches doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment. If anything the quality of fans have gone down who celebrate victories on such doctored pitches.

 

[JattMaula]

If you don't care about nationality then why commented about Pakistan when i commented on the ongoing India vs Aus match? I am a more patriotic indian than you but these meaningless victories on third grade pitches doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment. If anything the quality of fans have gone down who celebrate victories on such doctored pitches.

You can't derive meaning for this series? I feel sorry for you.

 

[Romali_rotti]

I I am a more patriotic indian than you but these meaningless victories on third grade pitches doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment. If anything the quality of fans have gone down who celebrate victories on such doctored pitches.

What in your opinion determines a wicket is doctored ? would you say the same for wickets in SA back in the 90s when Indians were bowled out for less than a 100 due to the pace and bounce.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Shami is having a ball lol

 

[dildilpak]

If you don't care about nationality then why commented about Pakistan when i commented on the ongoing India vs Aus match? I am a more patriotic indian than you but these meaningless victories on third grade pitches doesn't give me any sense of accomplishment. If anything the quality of fans have gone down who celebrate victories on such doctored pitches.

Nothing doctored about this pitch, is it? Not when left-handed lower order batsmen are scoring half centuries at ease & out scoring the entire Aussie team.

 

[happydavy]

You can't derive meaning for this series? I feel sorry for you.

Thx for being so considerate about me but i said meaningless victories and not series.

 

[Kaptan]

Jadeja is a very very good batsman, no question about it.

You want pitches where quality batters can score. You don't want pitches where an average batter scores 150. That's what makes Test cricket different, it differentiates men from boys.

 

[MenInG]

Shastri to Hayden on TV Comm:

"If you would have read news outlets and media reports before start of match, it sounded like you would need 3 innings for 400"

 

[happydavy]

What in your opinion determines a wicket is doctored ? would you say the same for wickets in SA back in the 90s when Indians were bowled out for less than a 100 due to the pace and bounce.

Fair question. I consider doctoring as changing the very intrinsic character of the pitch to suit a side. You mentioned Durban, considering Durban always is a low scoring pitch till date, i won't call it doctoring. I would call NZ doctoring the pitches in 2003 series when they made the pitches look like garden against India. A little bit of spicing up the pitch for either spin or pace to get an advantage is fine but like all things in life, everything needs to have some boundaries else it becomes vulgar. The day Australia changes Sydney (spin friendly) or Adelaide (batting friendly) into a Perth type pitch is what I would call it doctoring. Indians since the last 7-8 years have changed the very character of all the pitches and it's no joy to watch that. Mohali used to be fast bowler friendly, Chennai was spin friendly, Bangalore was batsmen friendly there was some USP all those pitches had. Now they all are rank turners and hence watching test cricket is India is so one dimensional lacking variety and depth. That's my issue with these pitches. There's nothing you could remember about these matches except that Indian spinners took 16-18 wickets.

 

[Saurav]

Jadeja is a very very good batsman, no question about it.

even Ashwin and Axar are doing well

 

[Sir Alex]

Lol. 400 on a doctored pitch with two lefties making 70 and 84 despite two off spinners bowling. Give me a break!

 

[zaidihusain]

It seems except PCB every other cricket board in subcontinent knows the art of doctoring pitches for home advantage and I don't see any problem in it. Only in Pakistan making pitches for home advantage is considered as rocket science. PCB seriously have to think about this otherwise Pakistan will keep losing at home

 

[JattMaula]

It seems except PCB every other cricket board in subcontinent knows the art of doctoring pitches for home advantage and I don't see any problem in it. Only in Pakistan making pitches for home advantage is considered as rocket science. PCB seriously have to think about this otherwise Pakistan will keep losing at home

PCB designed their pitches to be as dead as possible. Former Chairman Rambo admitted that he was scared of Aussie pacers so pitches have been killed.

PCB wanted draws and did manage somehow hold onto some draws vs Australia(still lost though) and NZ. But English did bazball and adventurous double declarations etc to still whitewash PCT.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Shastri to Hayden on TV Comm:

"If you would have read news outlets and media reports before start of match, it sounded like you would need 3 innings for 400"

Australia surely would have needed 3 innings to reach 400.

 

[BreadPakoda]

PCB designed their pitches to be as dead as possible. Former Chairman Rambo admitted that he was scared of Aussie pacers so pitches have been killed.

PCB wanted draws and did manage somehow hold onto some draws vs Australia(still lost though) and NZ. But English did bazball and adventurous double declarations etc to still whitewash PCT.

Yep. It was a master stroke by PCB. They salvaged 5 draws, including a drawn series.

 

[MenInG]

It seems except PCB every other cricket board in subcontinent knows the art of doctoring pitches for home advantage and I don't see any problem in it. Only in Pakistan making pitches for home advantage is considered as rocket science. PCB seriously have to think about this otherwise Pakistan will keep losing at home

Let's stop calling this doctroing.

This is simply preparing pitches for the best outcome for the homeside.

There is NO ICC ruling on what a pitch should be like.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There was a time Australia were way ahead of the rest in playing mind games. Now they are getting a taste of their own medicine. Brilliant from Axar Patel …isse kehte hain kehkar…. <br>Mazaa aa gaya <a href="https://t.co/FRdVmZRlZj">pic.twitter.com/FRdVmZRlZj</a></p>— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) <a href="https://twitter.com/virendersehwag/status/1624335945834332160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Kriketer]

If the entire pitch doesn't get the same treatment while preparation then it obviously is "cheating" just from the pictures it seems it was doctored to cheat. Never seen it like this before where part of pitches get differenr treatment to get it ready.

Not sure why India needs that, a track which starts spinning good by day 3 or 4 would have helped India to win anyway as they are strong at Home. Why the need to cheat.

 

[cricketjoshila]

It seems except PCB every other cricket board in subcontinent knows the art of doctoring pitches for home advantage and I don't see any problem in it. Only in Pakistan making pitches for home advantage is considered as rocket science. PCB seriously have to think about this otherwise Pakistan will keep losing at home

PCB got the pitch they wanted. They didn't want to lose. So made flat roads. This is poor mentality and seems team management is part of it.

 

[MenInG]

Post proper posts or don't post on this thread.

 

[kumjsr]

If the entire pitch doesn't get the same treatment while preparation then it obviously is "cheating" just from the pictures it seems it was doctored to cheat. Never seen it like this before where part of pitches get differenr treatment to get it ready.

Not sure why India needs that, a track which starts spinning good by day 3 or 4 would have helped India to win anyway as they are strong at Home. Why the need to cheat.

Game is already over and we are still going by pictures?

 

[jnaveen1980]

If the entire pitch doesn't get the same treatment while preparation then it obviously is "cheating" just from the pictures it seems it was doctored to cheat. Never seen it like this before where part of pitches get differenr treatment to get it ready.

Not sure why India needs that, a track which starts spinning good by day 3 or 4 would have helped India to win anyway as they are strong at Home. Why the need to cheat.

That imaginary story cooked by FOX tabloid was disproved real time and match is over.

 

[MenInG]

That imaginary story cooked by FOX tabloid was disproved real time and match is over.

The story was not imaginary. Pictorial proof was presented.

Whether it had an effect on the outcome of the game is another thing and one could argue that Australian batters were not able to counter the spin skills of Indian bowlers.

 

[kumjsr]

The story was not imaginary. Pictorial proof was presented.

Whether it had an effect on the outcome of the game is another thing and one could argue that Australian batters were not able to counter the spin skills of Indian bowlers.

Pictures just raise doubt instead of proving anything.

Actual game is the proof and clear those doubts.

 

[Front Foot Pull]

If the entire pitch doesn't get the same treatment while preparation then it obviously is "cheating" just from the pictures it seems it was doctored to cheat. Never seen it like this before where part of pitches get differenr treatment to get it ready.

Not sure why India needs that, a track which starts spinning good by day 3 or 4 would have helped India to win anyway as they are strong at Home. Why the need to cheat.

this tells you haven't watched the match. there were hardly any dismissals with the ball spinning out of that talked about dry area. almost all the dismissals were from the straight. and whenever the ball was pitched in that area it didn't behave any different from that of a typical sub continent pitch with footmarks.

 

[WengerOut]

The story was not imaginary. Pictorial proof was presented.

Whether it had an effect on the outcome of the game is another thing and one could argue that Australian batters were not able to counter the spin skills of Indian bowlers.

What did the picture prove?

 

[MenInG]

What did the picture prove?

What do you see here?

Nothing has been 'proven', but evidence is there for people to discuss or refute. Where do you stand on this?

 

[Front Foot Pull]

The story was not imaginary. Pictorial proof was presented.

Whether it had an effect on the outcome of the game is another thing and one could argue that Australian batters were not able to counter the spin skills of Indian bowlers.

but the pitch is judged based on how it plays and not how it is prepared, isn't it? and certainly not on how the journos prematurely assumed it to be.

the selective watering reporting by bharat of cricviz was all fun for the fans and cricket enthusiasts, sure. but the judgement should be on how it actually played. if found anything short in terms of bounce & all as the laws mandate it to be, punish for those, no problem.

 

[kumjsr]

What do you see here?

Nothing has been 'proven', but evidence is there for people to discuss or refute. Where do you stand on this?

This picture and match proved that groundsmen knew what they were doing and they did their job well.

It also proves that people who presented their verdict before the game, they were wrong.

 

[jnaveen1980]

The story was not imaginary. Pictorial proof was presented.

Whether it had an effect on the outcome of the game is another thing and one could argue that Australian batters were not able to counter the spin skills of Indian bowlers.

WHen the match started they should have shared the picture. It was all dry look the same across the pitch. They cannot take a picture randomly during the treatment and cook up a theory. Moisture doesn't last more than a session at best. Even when the match started pitch looked even. That was even said in pitch report. Mark waugh usually a biased guy even admitted there is nothing wrong with the pitch.

 

[WengerOut]

What do you see here?

Nothing has been 'proven', but evidence is there for people to discuss or refute. Where do you stand on this?

You mentioned the word "pictorial proof". I am no pitch expert and certainly cannot deduce how the pitch is going to behave from a picture. Common sense is to wait for the match to get underway before starting the sulking ( by the Aussies ). From what i could see, this was a pitch on which India scored 400 batting second. Two LHs from India scored almost the first innings score of Aus. 2 tailenders were able to easily negotiate 60 odd balls scoring 40 runs.

Now what do you think about pre match sulking and the pitch?

 

[Rightarmfast]

This wasnt a rank turner for sure. If the batsmen get out on straight balls, thats not called doctoring the pitch. The openers had no business getting out to Indian pacers, thats what set the tone for the match.

 

[MenInG]

You mentioned the word "pictorial proof". I am no pitch expert and certainly cannot deduce how the pitch is going to behave from a picture. Common sense is to wait for the match to get underway before starting the sulking ( by the Aussies ). From what i could see, this was a pitch on which India scored 400 batting second. Two LHs from India scored almost the first innings score of Aus. 2 tailenders were able to easily negotiate 60 odd balls scoring 40 runs.

Now what do you think about pre match sulking and the pitch?

Ok I will withdraw that and say pictorial evidence.

 

[jnaveen1980]

This pitch theory by media hur the Aussies more than it helped. It got into their mind somehow.

 

[MenInG]

This pitch theory by media hur the Aussies more than it helped. It got into their mind somehow.

From Fox:

AUSSIES GOT IN THEIR OWN HEAD. THEY CANNOT AFFORD A REPEAT

When pictures of the Nagpur wicket circulated online, many in the Australian cricket community were up in arms.

The claim was that the pitch had been designed to be a nightmare for left-handers, a convenient factor given five of Australia’s top seven batters in Sydney were lefties.

Even Australia appeared to be buying into things, with pictures circulating of David Warner down on his knees on the pitch, trying to learn as much as possible.

Steve Smith meanwhile spoke about dry the pitch appeared to be — and that was before it was only selectively watered.

The visitors then battled hard at the crease, scoring just 177 and 91 runs in their two innings.

As for India, they chalked up a cool 400 runs on the exact same wicket.

Former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin believed all of the pre-match chatter about the pitch meant the Aussies put their “energy into the wrong places” and tripped themselves up.

“The wicket didn’t play as bad as the score suggested,” Haddin told Fox Cricket.

“I think there were five LBWs from the straight ball … they were totally outclassed by India.

“They put too much energy into worrying about what the surface was going to do.

“I think a lot of that came about because I think Australia were worried about the wicket. I think they were spooked about what it was going to do.”

It was just one of several elements of perceived over-thinking from the Aussies before a ball had even been bowled.

A decision was made before the first Test that no warm-up match would be played in India, with Australia instead opting to recreate an Indian wicket on a North Sydney oval.

They also drafted in a bowler to mimic Ravichandra Ashwin’s bowling action so the Aussie batters could feel comfortable against what he had to offer on his home surface.

Evidently, it did not pay off as Ashwin snared eight wickets across the two innings.

Australian cricket legend Allan Border reiterated the visitors “over-thought this particular tour” and believed the next few days will provide ample time for self-reflection and heal “so many scars.”

So, how does Australia get out of their own heads and get themselves back into this Test series?

According to former Test opener Matthew Hayden, the answer is simple.

“That siege mentality has got to stop with some good action, some strong positive mental energy getting put in the right areas,” Hayden said during commentary.

“Having focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t do.”

 

[Varun]

Looks like the entire pitch thing was PR planted to get into the Australian heads.

It worked.

 

[jnaveen1980]

You need decisive feet movement. I am quiet surprised Rohit sharma despite not playing first class had it in him to counter any kind of threats. But Virat Kohli has been clueless for 2 or 3 years against off spinners in INdian conditions. Reason is feet movement. He goes back to the ball that he should be played on the frontfoot and vice versa. Virendar Sehwag was a clinic in that aspect. Even Pujara's ability against spin has become very poor. KL Rahul is clueless as well.

 

[jnaveen1980]

When NZ toured India had 10 overs to take last wicket out and win the match. Ashwin/Axar/Jaddu were all there.
Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz patel saw off 10 overs safely and helped them draw the Test. They had simple method of either going right back or right forward.

 

[JattMaula]

Pakistani cricket community do be doing things miraculous things online. They only need a photo on social media to judge what happened. No wonder their team's head coach is online. Mickey will sent a pic on tweeter and players will get all their solutions from it.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Maybe Australia should've retained their cricket pitches instead of relegating the sport behind AFL.

The bouncy Aussie pitches are no more and their own fault

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Maybe Australia should've retained their cricket pitches instead of relegating the sport behind AFL.

The bouncy Aussie pitches are no more and their own fault

Myth. Australian pitches- MCG, Gabba and Perth have as much bounce as ever.

 

[Sir Alex]

Ok I will withdraw that and say pictorial evidence.

The "evidenxe" ended up being a hypothesis that didn't work. Actual evidence on ground was obtained when India's two left handers, one batting at 7 and another at 9, scored 70 and 84 respectively against an attack consisting of two off spinners.

The picture, however, might have put doubts in Aussie minds though. That is beyond the control of anyone and was a smart move if deliberate by the curator. Basically mind games.

 

[dildilpak]

The Aussie (and some Pakistani and Indian too) sooks fell for that picture left, right & center BCCI must have enjoyed that trolling!

I for one, love the stuff which spices up a series; the Pak-Aus one just seemed so bland- both on-pitch & off-pitch !!!

 

[daytrader]

Jadeja speaking to media:

"Unko flight se hi rough patches dikh rahe the (They were probably seeing the rough from the flight itself). The atmosphere they created that it would spin; it didn't spin that much. If we see, they got out more to straight balls. We also got out lbw on straight balls,"

"This is bound to happen in India because we will obviously play to our team's strength. Our fast bowlers are also good, but spinners win more matches in India and pick up wickets, so why shouldn't we go with our strength," he said.

 

[daytrader]

Rohit Sharma's reaction

"Pitch talk is the real favourite topic on social media, especially for touring teams. When you were batting or they were batting, not one ball nicked off and went to silly points. You guys did not look in trouble. What is the secret? Is it good batsmanship or do we play on a different pitch?" Ashwin asked Rohit.

"Same pitch. Like I said, the talk we have in the changing room, it its about your ability and what you can do on the pitch. It's beyond my understanding why there is so much talk about pitch. Sad to see there is not enough talk about skills,"

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So quick question to you cricket people.<br><br>How does one like to read a pitch?<br><br>Are you a get down on your knees and almost sniff the pitch person or a general stand and observe from the pitch side? <br><br>Lastly. Did it really help you?</p>— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaleSteyn62/status/1624365759962005504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 11, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He is referring to this picture

 

[Front Foot Pull]

in the end this turned out to be such a troll from curator & bcci, which got fans from all sets.

 

[Pakhs]

Let me make it clear here.. Its not about which team is performing good or bad.. Its not disputed that Australians cant play spin. But its selective watering and make the pitch easier for one type of batmen such as right handers compare to right handers in my opinion is doctoring.

Result is not surprising Australia would lose even if Indian just use extreme turners (or even slight turners) without making it harder for left handers.

 

[jiduguravindra]

Let me make it clear here.. Its not about which team is performing good or bad.. Its not disputed that Australians cant play spin. But its selective watering and make the pitch easier for one type of batmen such as right handers compare to right handers in my opinion is doctoring.

Result is not surprising Australia would lose even if Indian just use extreme turners (or even slight turners) without making it harder for left handers.

How come Indian left hander score that many runs??

 

[Front Foot Pull]

Let me make it clear here.. Its not about which team is performing good or bad.. Its not disputed that Australians cant play spin. But its selective watering and make the pitch easier for one type of batmen such as right handers compare to right handers in my opinion is doctoring.

Result is not surprising Australia would lose even if Indian just use extreme turners (or even slight turners) without making it harder for left handers.

it is also not about how the curator prepares the pitches. what method he uses, how much time he takes etc. the ICC judges a pitch on how it plays. i repeat on how it plays. that is the most important. if you've watched the match you would've known that the ball didn't behave any different from that dry area when compared to other areas of the pitch. almost all the dismissals were from other areas.

watered, not watered, rolled, not rolled doesn't matter. ball pitched in watered and non watered behaved same. if anything ICC can punish for other norms like low bounce etc which are mentioned in the pitch assessment laws, but that applies to the entire pitch and not just dry area.

 

[MenInG]

Legendary Australian cricketer Allan Border is still at pains to understand why middle-order batter Travis Head was excluded from the side that suffered an innings and 132-run defeat against India in the opening Test at Nagpur. Head has been in sublime form since the 2021/22 Ashes series, where he was adjudged Player of the Series after Australia won the five-Test series 4-0. He was the joint second-highest run-getter during the three-Test series at home against South Africa recently, which Australia won 2-0.

But despite achieving several milestones in the past one year, Matt Renshaw got the selectors' nod ahead of Head for the opening Border-Gavaskar Test. Renshaw couldn't make an impact in Nagpur, getting dismissed for 0 and 2 respectively.

Border felt the Australians were "overthinking" their strategy, and decided to drop Head only because of his two mediocre runs during the previous tours of Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

"I thought he (Head) must have been crook or injured himself…. I just couldn't believe that Travis Head could be left just on a win that he didn't play very well in India last time or when they were in Sri Lanka," Border said on SEN Radio on Thursday.

"That's maybe a case, but you're allowed to improve, and Travis Head is one of those players that has improved and he showed that during the summer." Border added the Australians had got their selection for the Nagpur game horribly wrong.

"I think we overthought some of the stuff, worrying about all little gremlins about the pitch... that's what you expect when you go over there, they got the plans and the team wrong in the first game."

With pace bowler Mitchell Starc and all-rounder Cameron Green expected to be fit for the second Test in New Delhi starting Friday, Border felt that Australia should go back to their time tested three-pronged pace attack and include just one spinner -- Nathan Lyon instead of Todd Murphy.

Young spinner Murphy made his debut in Nagpur and grabbed seven wickets, while Lyon got just one.

"You've got to go with Lyon, he's built up enough brownie points over the years to be the first picked," Border said.

"Well done to young Murphy, it's going to be a tough decision to leave him out, I know the wicket is going to turn but I just reckon the formula for us to be successful (is) three quickies and one spinner.

"Just bowl stump to stump and be relentless with that tactic, I think that is going to be better for us than trying to beat them with spin, we've tried that forever and ever, and it hasn't worked."

NDTV

 

[MenInG]

Something for future Australian teams to remember when touring India - focus on the job at hand!

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

India has won multiple test matches on all kinds of pitches. Swing/Seam/High Bounce/Low Bounce..
all conditions they have won test matches. People can sook all they want.

 

[kumjsr]

Something for future Australian teams to remember when touring India - focus on the job at hand!

This match more lost by Australians than won by Indian team.

 

[jeetu]

Found a rather surprising stat
Since 1970
Tests played between India and Australia - 79
Aus won - 27
Ind won - 29

However Aus played a weak Packer hit side vs India in 70's


Since 1980
Tests played between India and Australia - 68
Aus won - 24
Ind won - 25

 

[Bhaijaan]

Found a rather surprising stat
Since 1970
Tests played between India and Australia - 79
Aus won - 27
Ind won - 29

However Aus played a weak Packer hit side vs India in 70's


Since 1980
Tests played between India and Australia - 68
Aus won - 24
Ind won - 25

That’s a stat to be proud of as an Indian fan. We really held our own against them in India and have given it back to them consistently down under since the turn of the century.

A winning test record against Aussies across the last 4 decades, quite a feat for India.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

India's home record is even impressive if folks think these wickets are massively doctored. To win 36 Tests and only lose 2 in these conditions indicates a high level of skill that no other team possesses.

 

[jnaveen1980]

India's home record is even impressive if folks think these wickets are massively doctored. To win 36 Tests and only lose 2 in these conditions indicates a high level of skill that no other team possesses.

FTBs generally get brutally exposed. I am including Indian batsmen as well. You need certain degree of skill, temperament to cash in at the right time. For instance in the 2nd test every morning wicket had more bite. All Australia had to do was see of first session cash in the second and third session. They completely lost their mind.

 

[MenInG]

India's pitches in Nagpur and Delhi for the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia have received an average rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC), reported Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday. The playing surfaces were a subject of huge discussion ahead of the blockbuster series. The pitch at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur has received an "average" rating from the governing body of the sport and its match referee, Zimbabwe's Andy Pycroft.

The strip for the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, where Australia fought hard for two days before bundling out for 113 runs in the third, was also an "average" rating by Pycroft. The surface was deemed to be fair if not perfect.

The preparation of the Nagpur pitch was of heavy interest to the Australian side. Star batters David Warner and Steve Smith were seen observing the surface closely and pressing against the pitch to check its hardness at various points before the match started. Images of "selective watering" also emerged online, which was done to ensure the areas outside off stump of left-handers were left dry for spinners.

NDTV

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Need the pitch doctor to visit Indore next. Need one more win to secure WTC final spot

 

[jnaveen1980]

FOX sports PR has worked lol Mindlessly sweeping has no real effect i suppose.

 

[MenInG]

Pics of Indore pitch from Cricket Australia - guess all ok at the moment!

 

[MenInG]

They have beaten Australia in Australia and they have beaten Australia in India.

Now India have revealed a cunning strategy to ready themselves to beat Australia in England in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, with captain Rohit Sharma boldly announcing a plan for a grassy, seaming pitch to be prepared in Ahmedabad.

It is a strategy dependent on an Indian victory in Indore, which would guarantee their spot in the WTC decider.

The ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy series has been contested on low, turning pitches and another such surface is expected at the Holkar Stadium this week.

But India know London's The Oval, where the WTC final is set to be played beginning on June 18 this year, will be far more beneficial for pace bowlers.

And, on the eve of the third Test of a series India lead 2-0 in, Rohit admitted his side has already talked about changing tack and treating the final Test as a de-facto warm-up for what they might face in England.

"There is definitely a possibility of that," the opener told reporters when asked if a green seamer could be dished up in Ahmedabad, home to the world's biggest cricket stadium.

"We've spoken about it. We need to get the guys ready for it as well … that thought process is definitely there.

"If we do what we do here and we get the result we want, we might kick off doing something different in Ahmedabad."

Steve Smith, filling in as captain for Pat Cummins who has gone home for personal reasons, was surprised when told of the plan.

"That's the first heard of it," Smith said at his pre-third Test press conference. "I guess we'll wait and see. Hopefully we don't let them get the job done (in Indore). We'll wait and see what happens after this Test."

India tried a similar ploy in 2017 when then skipper Virat Kohli demanded a seam-friendly wicket in Kolkata for a Test against Sri Lanka to prepare for their ensuing tour of South Africa. India won the series against Sri Lanka but lost to South Africa.

"We thought this is an ample opportunity for us to challenge ourselves," Kohli said in 2017. "We want to embrace being in difficult conditions.

"We have no choice but to be in game situations and think of what's coming ahead for us."

An India-Australia WTC final looks overwhelmingly likely after South Africa dropped out of the running to make it following India's win in Delhi last week.

The Aussies also only need a solitary victory to qualify for the final, which would add a sixth Test to their tour of England with a five-Test Ashes campaign to be played through June and July.

Even if Australia lose 4-0 in India, Sri Lanka would need to topple New Zealand 2-0 in March to stop an India-Australia final.

A series defeat on this tour would mark the fifth time in their last six Test series that India have beaten Australia, which included India's wins down under in 2018-19 and 2020-21. Australia have not won a Test series in India since 2004.

But the two teams have never faced off on neutral territory in a Test.

"It would be a completely different ball game, for both teams actually," said Rohit.

"I don't want to talk about the World Test Championship, we're not there yet, we want to win this game and then talk about it. That will be the right thing to do.

"But speaking of it from the outside, I don't think England is going to qualify so both teams will be neutrals. It's going to be exciting, no home advantage, no conditions advantage.

"India has played a lot of cricket in England over the last few years, Australia has played a lot of cricket (there too).

"It's not going to be alien conditions as such for both teams, so it will be a good contest between the teams whoever the two teams are."

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/ind...st-championship-final-rohit-sharma/2023-02-28

 

[MenInG]

Mark Taylor has questioned whether there may have been “skulduggery” involved with preparing the third Test pitch in Indore after ICC match referee Chris Broad rated it “poor”.

India’s attempt to ambush Australia on another turning pitch backfired when the visitors regrouped after two humiliating losses, beating India by nine wickets in little more than two days on a wicket Matthew Hayden described as “horrendous”.

It was just India’s third loss at home in 45 Tests during the past decade.

“I agree with that,” Taylor said of the ICC rating the Indore pitch as poor. “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.

“I don’t believe a pitch should be going through the top on day one. You might understand that day four or five if the game goes that long, but not day one, that’s just poor preparation. I thought Indore was a very poor pitch and should have been ranked accordingly.”

However, former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar was critical of the “poor” ratings and pointed out the first Test between Australia and South Africa in Brisbane in December.

“One thing I would like to know, there was this Test match in Brisbane, where the match finished in two days,” Gavaskar told India Today. “How many demerit points did that pitch get and who was the match referee there?”

The Brisbane pitch was rated below average, but unlike the Indian pitches being specifically prepared for their spinners, Taylor believes the Gabba did not favour Australia or South Africa.

“I think they’ve got to keep an eye on that sort of stuff because people look at the Gabba this season. The groundsman there just got it wrong,” the former Australian captain told the Herald and The Age.

“He left too much grass on it but, in a way, it didn’t favour either side. It would have favoured the South African seamers just much [as Australia] because they’ve got four very good seamers.

“So I don’t think there was any skulduggery going on at the Gabba. I think with Indore, I hope I can say the same thing there, but what happened there, the pitch was so poorly prepared it actually made the game a bit more of a lottery, which didn’t favour India at all.

“It probably brought Australia’s spin bowlers into the game a lot more than they [India] thought it was going to.”

The ICC released Broad’s findings shortly after the Test finished little more than an hour into the third day.

“The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start,” Broad wrote. “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 Board of Control for Cricket in India moved the third Test from Dharamshala to Indore just two weeks before it was due to start, citing poor outfield growth after ground repairs.

The venue, in the Himalayan foothills, was regarded as the most likely to suit Australia’s pace attack. In his 2017 autobiography The Journey, then captain Steve Smith wrote that the pitch had pace and bounce and was the “best pitch of the lot”.

Despite the poor rating for the Indore pitch, Indian captain Rohit Sharma was unapologetic about the type of surfaces India produces for Test matches.

“Former cricketers, I don’t think they played on pitches like this,” Sharma said at his post-match press conference. “These are the kinds of pitches we want to play on, this is our strength.

“When you’re playing at your home, always play to your strength, not worry about what people outside are talking about. Our strength is spin bowling and batting depth.

“Everyone uses that advantage as the home side, so what’s wrong with that? We’ve got to do that as well. Especially when we are getting results. If we were not getting the results, I would think otherwise. But we are playing well, getting the results we want.”

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...ions-poor-indian-pitches-20230304-p5cpd6.html

 

[cricketjoshila]

If Indore pitch was poor, why not Brisbane? A question ICC won't answer unless BCCI puts its foot down.

And why is Chris Board a match referee when his son is a player? Is this not a conflict of interest?

Aussies involve in all sorts of unethical practices and then accuse others of skull duggery.

 

[Smudger]

If Indore pitch was poor, why not Brisbane? A question ICC won't answer unless BCCI puts its foot down.

And why is Chris Board a match referee when his son is a player? Is this not a conflict of interest?

Aussies involve in all sorts of unethical practices and then accuse others of skull duggery.

Have some shame man. This pitch had variable bounce from day 1 and the ball was turning square from the 1st over. Balla was exploding from the surface from the first over Starc bowled. In Brisbane at least the bounce was even throughout the match