India’s brazen curators are holding all choices open for the fourth Test, making ready two potential pitches for the Border-Gavaskar collection finale in Ahmedabad.
Australia stay unsure in regards to the pitch they are going to play on on the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium for the Test towards India, beginning on Thursday.
India coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma each had prolonged inspections of the centre wicket when the hosts educated on the Ahmedabad floor on Tuesday.
Acting Australia captain Steve Smith was none the wiser when talking on Wednesday.
“I can’t remember it being the case,” Smith stated of ever not realizing which pitch he could be enjoying on so near a match beginning.
“It might have been a couple of (pitches) prepared maybe a bit longer out than two days but I can’t remember two days.”
Pitch dialogue has been a relentless in the course of the first three Tests, with India purposely rolling out spin-friendly surfaces to go well with their possibilities of toppling Australia.
But these ways backfired in the course of the third Test in Indore as Australia pulled off an upset nine-wicket win in a match that ended early on day three.
Spin accounted for 26 of the 31 wickets taken at Holkar Stadium, resulting in the International Cricket Council (ICC) slapping the pitch with the dreaded “poor” score.
After the match, Sharma backed India’s choice to demand curators put together closely spinning pitches that make it troublesome for batters to play on.
Officials in Indian group uniforms have been noticed out close to the centre wicket for prolonged durations forward of all three Tests up to now in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore.
“We want to play to our strength at home and not worry what the people outside are talking about. Our strength is spin and our batting depth,” he stated.
“People have to play well for the game to last for five days.
“Games aren’t lasting for 5 days even outdoors India.”
The president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA), Abhilash Khandeka, said Indore had been treated unfairly for the state of the pitch.
Indore was a last-minute choice to host the third Test after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on February 12 deemed the ground in Dharamsala to be unsuitable for the match.
“Two curators from BCCI had come eight to 10 days earlier than the match. The pitch was ready underneath their supervision. The MPCA had no function in making the pitch,” Khandeka told The Times of India this week.
“I wish to make it clear that similar to some other state board affiliation in worldwide matches, MPCA has no function in making the pitch.
“BCCI curators come and they get the direction from BCCI along with the Indian team management.”
Source: www.perthnow.com.au
