India vs Australia: Here's first look of Indore pitch to be used for IND vs AUS 3rd Test

India and Australia are all set to lock horns against each other in the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting March 1. Ahead of the highly-anticipated clash, the first look of the Indore pitch where the upcoming Test match between India and Australia is scheduled to be played is out. The surface seems dry with a huge green patch in the middle and it looks like it will once again assist spin in the game. 

Pictures of the Indore pitch were shared by Cricket Australia on their official Twitter handle on Monday. In the pictures, the Australian team can be seen practicing in the background with rollers being used by ground staff to treat the surface. "A couple of photos of the pitch at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore two days out from the third #INDvAUS Test. Are you batting or bowling first?" Cricket Australia wrote in the caption of the post. 

A couple of 📸 of the pitch at Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore two days out from the third #INDvAUS Test.

Are you batting or bowling first? pic.twitter.com/QRd24TNH1L

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 27, 2023

Holkar Stadium record

Holkar Stadium typically provides an excellent surface for batting in limited overs matches, with small boundaries that favor strokeplay. However, in Test matches, the pitch is likely to resemble those seen in Delhi and Nagpur. While still relatively good for batting, the game is expected to last until at least the fourth day. The average first innings score in the two Tests played at this venue is 353, but drops dramatically to just 153 in the fourth innings. Therefore, any team batting last on this pitch would not want to chase a total higher than 150.

Test matches

India vs New Zealand (2016) - India won by 321 runs

India vs Bangladesh (2019) - India won by innings and 130 runs

Test centuries

Virat Kohli

Ajinkya Rahane

Cheteshwar Pujara

Mayank Agarwal

Basic stats

Highest total recorded: 557/5 by India vs New Zealand

Lowest total recorded: 150/10 by Bangladesh vs India

The third Test match is scheduled to take place in Indore starting March 1. The third Test was earlier slated to be played in Dharamsala, however, the match was later shifted to Indore when it emerged the outfield in the Himalayan ground is still not ready for an international event.

Image: Twitter/cricket.com.au