The debate over the pitch reappeared on Day 1 of the Indore Test. Many were caught off guard by the Indore surface as the ball began to grip and turn as early as 15 minutes into the game. The amount of spin that was available is typically seen on Day 3 of a Test, which may be why seeing the ball produce an unbelievable amount of turn caught everyone off guard. Given the nature of the available surface, batsmen, bowlers, fielders, captains, coaches, and even commentators were left perplexed. Some experts and former cricketers even predicted a two- to two-and-a-half-day finish on Twitter.
While doing commentary, Matthew Hayden launched into a tirade about how the Indore pitch is not the best representation of Test cricket and how he felt bad for the people who bought tickets for Days 4 and 5. It is obvious that another Day 3 finish is in store given what happened on Days 1 and 2, when 14 and 16 wickets, respectively, fell. In fact, images of India coach Rahul Dravid conversing with the pitch curator during lunch went viral, and Dravid appeared worried in them.
In the midst of all this commotion, former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who has dealt with pitch disputes in Indian cricket before, made a rather puzzling comment about the Indore pitch. Ganguly said very little about the subject—just one line—but it was enough to heighten the controversies already raging. On the sidelines of an event in Kolkata, Ganguly told a group of reporters, “See what happens at the end of the Test.” He was hinting that some action might be taken.
India was bowled out for 109 on Day 1 of a Test match at home, their fourth-lowest score since 2012. The star-studded trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Cheteshwar Pujara failed to make a lasting impression, marking another instance of top-order failure. After a shaky start, Rohit was out stumped, and Pujara was clean bowled by Nathan Lyon’s vicious off-spinner. Matthew Kuhnemann made a strong delivery to Shubman Gill, and he went on to pick up his first five-wicket haul, while Virat Kohli appeared to be in control up until he was LBW’d. Some terminations resulted from strong performance, while others were self-inflicted.
Thoughts that the Indore pitch was solely to blame were somewhat disproved by the way Australia batted. Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne put in a lot of effort to play out the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, and their outstanding partnership of 96 runs successfully kept them at bay for a considerable amount of time. However, India mounted a late comeback in the final session, propelled by Jadeja’s three-wicket burst, causing Australia to end Day 1 on 156/4 at stumps, leading by 47 runs.
India seemed to be under a great deal of pressure for the first time in the series. India was in trouble in Delhi as well at 139/7 before Ashwin and Axar’s counterattacking 100-run partnership saved the day. With that said, Ganguly believed it was premature to write the hosts off for the game. “There is still a lot of game left. They’re going to return. Day 1 only began today. still a lot of cricket, “His addition was.
But at the end of Day 2, Australia is unquestionably in the lead, and only a miracle can deliver India from defeat. Australia was bowled out for 197 on the second day, losing six wickets in 34 balls as they fell to a six-year low. Nathan Lyon then picked up 8/64. In India, Lyon bowled the hosts out for 163, giving Australia a meagre 76 runs to chase down. These are his second-best Test bowling statistics. Except for Pujara, who recorded his second match-high half-century with grit, no other batter could muster any traction. India was still in the game despite losing wickets and Pujara holding down one end, but an outstanding display of fielding from Steve Smith, who took a superb catch at leg slip to end Pujara’s innings, turned the tide and all but won the match for Australia.
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