The ‘nature of the pitch’ has been the most discussed topic in all the three Test matches between India and Australia. Ever since the third Test in Indore ended inside two days and one session, the debate and discussion about Indian pitches has become louder than ever. The pitch at Indore received a ‘poor’ rating and three demerit points from the ICC, following which curiosity about the ‘nature of the pitch’ for the fourth Test in Ahmedabad ran high.
Reacting to the ‘Indore pitch controversy’ for the first time, Team India head coach Rahul Dravid made a direct statement in his defense of the three tracks in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore.
“I won’t go into it too much. The match referee is entitled to share his opinion. It doesn’t really matter whether I agree with his reading or not. It doesn’t matter what I think. But sometimes WTC points are at stake.” You play on wickets that give results,” Dravid said as reported by PTI.
However, he did not forget to mention that a data analysis of tracks prepared by domestic teams over the years has shown that the 22-yard strip has been challenging at most places.
The man, who played 164 Test matches, said, “It can happen, not only in India but around the world, if you see, sometimes it is difficult for everyone to strike the perfect balance and not just here. But it can happen in other places as well.” said below his belt.
Dravid gave some insight into the reason behind the demand for such flamboyant turners. It was the 2021 Test match against New Zealand in Kanpur where India failed to take nine wickets on the final day.
“There’s a big premium on results and if you draw a game like we did in Kanpur vs New Zealand, it puts you back in a home game. When you have 12 for a win and 4 for a draw , then you want to win.” ahead of a draw,” he said.
There was sarcasm as well as irritation when he talked about the pitches in South Africa where India played three Tests early last year.
“When we go overseas too, we have played on some challenging wickets. The most recent (2022) was played in South Africa, where spinners were completely taken out of the game,” he said dryly.
Dravid didn’t deny the bowlers’ advantage, “And everybody wants to build wickets where at the end one wants the result. You probably end up building wickets where the ball hits the bat a little bit more and that’s necessary and part of the game.” “
(With PTI inputs)
