The India VS Australia series is underway. And once again, the Indian pitches are under immense scrutiny. All the cricket pundits and analysts have given their views on the pitches that the Indian curators make. The Australian skipper, Pat Cummins, went on to say that the pitch in Jamatha Nagpur is a “custom-made” one. India VS Australia games are filled with drama. Basically, they’re accusing the Indian cricket team of doctoring the pitch in their favor, but how does a pitch affect the game? Here is a look:
India VS Australia, Dry Wickets Help the Spin Bowlers:
The accusation was of making Nagpur pitch a dust bowl. But we have seen over the years, that this pitch has had a similar structure. Here is what former Australian skipper, Ricky Ponting had to say about the pitch at Nagpur, “I expected today’s wicket to play like this. I got a look at it like everyone did a few days ago, and that’s when all the talk started about the surface. But India’s best chance of beating Australia is to prepare for turning wickets. One, because our batsmen will find it difficult, but also because they would think that their spin bowlers are better than Australia’s as well. “ The India VS Australia games always have such criticism, this is not the first time, that the Indian pitches are the topic of discussion. Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald have addressed this after the day 1 of the India VS Australia 1st Test.
Dry wickets are structured so that they help the spinners. The ball tends to grip and turn on these wickets. And it expected the bowlers to fly the ball more to extract more turn. These pitches also tend to generate footmarks from the run-up of the pacers. And these footmarks eventually become the point of maximum turn.
India VS Australia, Green Wickets and Overcast Conditions Help Pacers:
Green wickets and overcast conditions are the most ideal for the pacers. We have seen the test matches in South Africa played on green wickets and those games too ended in a matter of two to two and a half days. But in that case, there was no chatter about the green pitch. In 2018, the Indian cricket team had to drop Ravichandran Ashwin and had to play 5 pacers, including Hardik to get the required pace strength. In that game, the visitors did not accuse the hosts of doctoring but they played like warriors.
Jimmy Anderson is one bowler who has got the most wickets in English overcast conditions. Also, the Australian cricket team is always making wickets that offer pace and bounce. They went undefeated at the Gabba for 32 years because the wicket was spicy and had a lot of bounce. Now, will this fall under the doctoring of the pitch as well? But when the India VS Australia games are played in 2018, Virat Kohli said, “We are here to play irrespective of the conditions on offer.” Same was the case in 2020 during the India VS Australia Tests, when Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Shastri had spoken on the unwanted chat surrounding the pitch at the Gabba.
Experts Take on the Nagpur Pitch:
This is what Sanjay Majrekar had to say about the Nagpur pitch, “I expected today’s wicket to play as it has. I saw it as everyone did a few days ago, and that’s when all the talk started about the pitch. But India’s best chance of beating Australia is to prepare for turning wickets. One, because our batsmen will find it difficult, but also because they would think that their spin bowlers are better than Australia’s as well.”.
When enquired about the pitch and how it would favor the spinners, this is what Matthew Hayden claimed, “This match could well finish early. It’s the same at the other end as well. You have a got rough patch here and there, and, ironically, the roller and the grass that was being cut here was just shavings of dust because it’s going to be a turner.”
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