India will play the 4th Test against Australia on March 9 in Ahmedabad. Australia will want to level the series. And they have qualified for the final of the ICC Test Championship, so to some extent they can play freely without pressure. The Indian team knows that the ever-free Australian team is extremely dangerous.
The last 3 Test matches took place in a total of seven and a half days. That much ‘field’ and pitches were pitched, and in the last test under the captaincy of Steve Smith, who knew the details, the Australian team bowled India with the attacking captaincy.
The ICC came to its senses and condemned the Indore pitch, terming it abysmal and awarding it three demerit points. Generally, weak teams like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka play such clay pitches and pit pitches. But claiming to be the No. 1 Indian team and playing such pitches and winning and taking pride in it is a big irony.
In this case, when Sunil Gavaskar explains the reasons for pitching like this, “It is difficult to take 20 wickets in a Test match in India. Indian bowling is not that strong without the main bowlers in the Indian team such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and the somewhat inexperienced Mohammed Siraj. That’s why they pitch dry and create chances to take 20 wickets.
The Indian team had no choice but to advance to the final of the World Test Championship. If you have strong bowlers you can play a pitch instead of relying only on spinners. Not strong in bowling. So our strength is spinners. They think we will set the pitch accordingly. These are not pitches where the batsmen dominate, these are pitches that challenge the patience of the batsmen,” says Gavaskar.
It is in a way a prop for pitting. During his tenure as captain, Gavaskar was criticized for asking him to set batting pitches to score a century in favor of his batting.
Even more relevant and critical is Ian Chappell’s take on the pitch issue. Indian team should shut up and focus on cricket, says Ian Chappell
“India must realize the error of its ways. We have already talked about pitching in favor of the Indian team. Have you forgotten that India came to Australia and won the last 2 Test series? I’ll go back to it.
What is the role of administrators, team management, coach, captain other than the pitch organizer in pitching? Why do they have to say put the pitch like this and put it like that? It is left to the discretion of the pitch maker and they have to keep their mouths shut on the pitch he sets. What’s wrong with him pitching what he knows is a good pitch based on his experience and his learned skills?
I have no mercy on the team if India asks us to have these kind of pitches. In the Ahmedabad Test match, if the Indian team goes to the pitch organizer and asks for something, he should say ‘look at your work’. The Indian team should also shut up and concentrate on the game of cricket. Did the Indian team forget that they came to Australia and played good all-round cricket and won? What Rishabh Pant is not here. Now they understand how important Rishabh Pant is,” said Ian Chappell.
