India v Australia Test series: Possibly three pitches prepared for final Test

The Indian team could be given its choice of three wickets for the final Test in Ahmedabad as it looks to blow away Australia and clinch a 3-1 series triumph.

Curators at the Ahmedabad stadium look to have prepared two, possibly three, pitches for India to choose from ahead of the critical final Test starting Thursday.

Local ground staff working on the square when the team arrived on Tuesday morning said there was 60 per cent chance the game would be held on one strip and 40 per cent on another, but there are suspicions that a third one that was being prepared could come into play.

There were reports during the Indore match that Indian coach Rahul Dravid was offered a similar choice ahead of that fiasco.

All three Ahmedabad wickets have significantly more grass after India lost the third Test and the pitch incurred the wrath of the ICC.

The fall out from Indore continued into the eve of this match with the local cricket association saying ‘don’t blame us … it’s the BCCI’s fault’.

The situation creates an interesting standoff for what shapes as a part cricket match, part political rally with Indian PM Narendra Modi’s appearance on the first day at the 132,000-seat stadium named in his honour.

The Indore pitch.

Australia won in Indore after falling 2-0 behind and it was only the third time a visiting team has overcome the hostile local conditions – and brilliant local spin bowling – in the past decade.

Fans and broadcasters have been robbed of seven days out of a possible 15 days cricket with batsmen struggling in this compelling Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Australian assistant coach Daniel Vettori said this week that batters were starting to think 30 was a good score.

Only one, India’s captain Rohit Sharma, has scored a century in the three Tests.

The fallout from Indore has been significant and nobody is sure what sort of pitch will be prepared for the fourth Test, but an old fashioned Indian “road” would at least ensure an Indian win.

The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association’s ground in Indore is under threat of suspension from hosting international cricket after it received a three-point demerit sanction from the ICC over the terrible wicket.

Ground staff members clean the pitch in Indore.

The problem is, as MPCA president Abhilash Khandekar told local media, the venue which has only hosted three Tests, is not responsible for pitch preparation.

“Two curators from BCCI had come eight to ten days before the match. The pitch was prepared under their supervision. The MPCA had no role in making the pitch,” he told the Times of India.

“I want to make it clear that just like any other state board association in international matches, MPCA has no role in making the pitch. BCCI curators come and they get the direction from BCCI along with the Indian team management,”

The Gabba received a “below average” rating when attempts to create a lively pitch against South Africa at the venue this season went awry and the game was over in two days.

While a green seamer is more to Australia’s liking, the visitors on the that occasion had one of the better pace attacks in the world with a roster of bowlers including Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada.

Steve Smith and Travis Head inspect the wicket before the third Test.

Match referee Chris Broad slammed the Indore wicket.

“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 said.

Cricket expects spinning wickets in India and many have defended the Holkar pitch, including the MPCA boss.

“As far as match finishing in three days is concerned, we have seen such of matches in Nagpur and Delhi also. There has been criticism of the pitch but if you will see the post-match conference, both captains have supported the pitch so we have nothing to add,” Khandekar said.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald labelled the conditions “extreme” but stand-in captain Steve Smith found an upside to the wicket when asked in public.

“All the wickets have spun, we haven’t gotten past three days yet so that shows that it’s been spinning from day one in all the Test matches but I personally I really enjoyed playing on these kind of wickets,” he said.

“I prefer this than just a genuine flat wicket that goes five days and can be boring in stages. There’s always something happening on these wickets. You’ve got to really work hard for your runs. But it’s showed that the guys can do it. Guys can do it, you’ve got to work hard for them and you need some luck. With this one, whether it might have been a little bit too extreme, potentially from the first ball. I’m not really entirely sure, but it was still another enjoyable.”