Batting great Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at ICC for giving three demerit points to Indore Pitch as it got rated ‘poor’ after the third Test match was finished on Day 3. Australia dominated India at Holkar Cricket Stadium and registered a clinical 9-wicket victory to bounce back 1-2 in the series with one match left to play.
Gavaskar pointed out that last year a match between Australia and South Africa ended in two days but it was not treated the same way.
“One thing I would like to know, there was this Test match in November in Brisbane Gabba, where the match finished in 2 days. How many demerit points did that pitch get and who was the match referee there,” Gavaskar lashed out in an interaction with India Today.
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Match referee Chris Broad stated that the Holkar Cricket Stadium pitch was favouring spinners from the start and didn’t provide fair competition between bat and the ball.
“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,” Broad said.
Meanwhile, the Gabba pitch on which Australia beat South Africa by 6 wickets was given a below average rating with just one demerit point.
“Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers. There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement. The odd delivery also kept low on the second day, making it very difficult for batters to build partnerships,” the ICC report read.
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In the third Test, India were all out for 109 and 163 in their two innings while Australia managed 197 in their first essay before knocking off the required 76 runs for a win on the third morning.
Gavaskar said that the pitch offered turn but it was not dangerous to bat.
“I think 3 demerit points is a little harsh, because, in this pitch, yes the ball turned, but it was not dangerous. When Australia get to a score of 77 for the loss of one wicket it actually tells you that the pitch got a lot better,” Gavaskar said.
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