"At this pace, I feel sorry for the fans" - Matthew Hayden lambasts Indore pitch for 3rd IND vs AUS Test
Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden was highly critical of the pitch on offer at the Holkar Stadium, Indore for the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar series.
Team India, after opting to bat first on a very dry surface, were bowled out for just 109 in the first innings. The hosts lost seven wickets in the very first session as the spinners came into play right from the sixth over of the contest.
The spinners inevitably claimed all the wickets in a timeframe of just over one session to make a bold statement. Matthew Kuhnemann picked up his maiden five-wicket haul, with the surface offering copious turn.
Turn is crazy in Indore. https://t.co/iXCbnWgX56
Expressing his frustration over the Indore pitch aiding an average spin of 4.8 degrees, Hayden said during commentary in the first session:
“You are allowed to have a four-five days Test match. At this pace I feel sorry for the fans, I don’t think this Test will go for Day 4."
Hayden continued:
“This is why I’ve got a problem with these conditions. There’s no way in the world that a spin bowler should come on in the sixth over. 4.8 degrees, that’s massive turn. That’s the sort of turn you’d expect day three. You’ve got to give batters a chance… Day one, day two should be about batting.”
In comparison, despite the pitch's volatile nature, the Australian batters have come out with a better approach and capitalized on poor bowling by the Indians to stitch up a solid start.
"These kinds of surfaces are not good for Test cricket" - Matthew Hayden
The nature of the pitches in the Border-Gavaskar series have been the talk of the town. Right from 'selective watering' to curating controversial and unethical wickets, the visitors have been far from happy to play in the subcontinent so far.
Tea on Day 1 of the 3rd Test.
Australia 71/1, trail India (109) by 38 runs.
Scorecard - bit.ly/INDvAUS-2023-3… #INDvAUS @mastercardindia https://t.co/mjjeD8M77R
Stating that such pitches are a bad advertisement for Test cricket, Matthew Hayden said during commentary in the first session:
“No way spinners should come to bowl in the sixth over. This is the reason I don’t like these kinds of surfaces. It shouldn’t be keeping this low and turning so much on Day 1. It doesn’t matter whether Australia wins this Test or India. These kinds of surfaces are not good for Test cricket.”
As of writing, Australia are cruising at 99-1 with the Indian spinners not even creating an ounce of impact as compared to their Australian counterparts.
Did the team management err in asking for an extremely dry surface for the third Test? Let us know what you think.