India vs Australia: Rahul Dravid opens up on ICC giving 2nd lowest rating to Indore pitch

Indian head coach Rahul Dravid spoke to reporters in the pre-match press conference ahead of India vs Australia 4th Test and revealed his thoughts on the Indore pitch receiving demerit points from the International Cricket Council. The pitch used during the third Test at the Holkar Stadium became the talk of the town for the wrong reasons after the match concluded in the first hour of play on Day 3. 

The first day of the third Test saw a total of 14 wickets fall, with spinners dominating the proceedings. Out of the total of 31 wickets that fell in the match, spinners accounted for a total of 26 dismissals. The Holkar Stadium then received three demerit points.

'Whatever it is, we have to learn to play on them': Rahul Dravid

Meanwhile, speaking to reporters about ICC’s penalty over the Indore pitch on Tuesday, Indian coach Dravid said, “The pitch looks okay. Lot of talk around pitches. Whatever it is, we have to learn to play on them. Won’t go too much into it, that’s match referees reading. With WTC points at stake, you look to play on wickets that produce results”. India heads into the series finale looking to seal their spot in the ICC World Test Championship final. 

The pitches were a hot topic of discussion for the cricketing world ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2023. The debate reached new heights after India won the first Test by an innings and 132 runs, before winning the second Test by six wickets. In the third Test, Australia claimed their first victory of the series and won by nine wickets.

"The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface"

Interestingly, all three matches so far in the series have ended within three days. Meanwhile, ICC Match Referee Chris Broad provided his take on the Indore pitch after India’s defeat and revealed the nature of the surface. As reported by ICC, Broad said, “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,” he added. Having said that, the fourth Test of the series is scheduled to begin from March 9 onwards. India will seal their spot in the ICC WTC final if they win the upcoming Test in Ahmedabad.