After 30 wickets fell on the first 2 days of the 3rd Test match between India and Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, the apex body of world cricket, International Cricket Council (ICC) deemed the pitch ‘poor’.
ICC also gave 3 demerit points to the stadium. Notably, the 3rd Test match finished within 3 days and the spinners played a massive role in it. The tracks were turning and the pitch was slow and sluggish.
For the 3rd consecutive time, a Test match in India finished within the first 3 days and it was a big blip on the reputation of Indian pitches.
According to a report, the apex body of Indian cricket, the Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) will be challenging ICC’s ‘Poor’ rating of the Indore Pitch as they are extremely unhappy with this review.
“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,” said Chris Broad, who was the match referee of the 3rd Test match.
“We will take stock of the situation and decide,” said a BCCI official to Indian Express. This clearly indicates that the officials of BCCI are not happy with this verdict of ICC and will be presenting an appeal, very soon.
If a stadium gets 5 or more demerit points within a 5-year period, then it can be suspended from hosting any international matches for a period of 1 year. If the Indore pitch gets 2 more demerit points, then it will not be able to host any international game for a period of 12 months.
BCCI has 14 days to appeal for the verdict and they should do it really quick.
4th Test match will be taking place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
The Border Gavaskar Series between India and Australia is presently inclined towards India. The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team has already pocketed the series as they had previously won the last Border Gavaskar Series.
India will be hoping to win the 4th Test match in order to ensure a place in the finals of the World Test Championship (WTC). Notably, Australia have already ensured their place in the finals. Sri Lanka and India are in contention for the other place.
The 4th Test match will be starting from 9th March 2023.
Also read: ICC ODI World Cup 2023: 3 Reasons Why Shikhar Dhawan Might Not Be Included In India’s Squad
