"BCCI stop selling Day 4 & 5 tickets" - Fans slam Indore wicket as India lose 5 wickets in the 1st hour

The Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, which is the host of the third Test between India and Australia, came under the scanner for assisting spinners from the first ball itself.

The hosts lost five wickets in the first hour of the Test match, all to spinners. Matthew Kuhnemann accounted for three wickets, while senior off-spinner Nathan Lyon picked up two wickets.

The pitch turned square after Kuhnemann was introduced into the attack in the sixth over of the match. The left-arm spinner immediately got assistance off the wicket, while the ball kept low on certain occasions.

He struck in the last ball of his first over as Rohit Sharma shimmied down the track to take the attack back to the opposition. The ball turned enough to beat Rohit's bat before Alex Carey whipped the bails off.

Shubman Gill was next to walk back before Lyon knocked over Cheteshwar Pujara of a delivery that remained low and turned miles. Shreyas Iyer was also out of a delivery that didn't bounce as expected as India were reduced to 45/4 within the first hour of the third Test.

Fans took stock of how the pitch behaved so far in the match and slammed the curator for preparing a below-average wicket.

Here are some of the reactions:

Sagar

@sagarcasm

Indore pitch report

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Indore pitch report https://t.co/YPdN60vDeD

Wasim Jaffer

@WasimJaffer14

Looking at the pitch, not only Shami but I think Siraj and Umesh are also rested for this test #INDvAUS #BGT2023

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Looking at the pitch, not only Shami but I think Siraj and Umesh are also rested for this test 😅 #INDvAUS #BGT2023

Silly Point

@FarziCricketer

"I thank Rohit and Dravid sir for not giving me an opportunity on this pitch": KL Rahul

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"I thank Rohit and Dravid sir for not giving me an opportunity on this pitch": KL Rahul

Chetan Narula

@chetannarula

Absolutely. This is not Test cricket, but lottery. Taking it a bit too far with these pitches. Fans are being robbed here. #IndvAus twitter.com/hetalcb/status…

Hetal Babla

@hetalcb

@chetannarula This is a 2 day pitch! India all out by lunch and Aus all out by Tea.
Understandable that Hayden is livid - as fans, we should all be!

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@chetannarula This is a 2 day pitch! India all out by lunch and Aus all out by Tea.
Understandable that Hayden is livid - as fans, we should all be!

Absolutely. This is not Test cricket, but lottery. Taking it a bit too far with these pitches. Fans are being robbed here. #IndvAus twitter.com/hetalcb/status…

Saiyami Kher

@SaiyamiKher

What is this pitch!?? Day 1 first session how can the ball turn square, keep low like a day 5 broken wicket? They should have just stuck to whatever pitch/outfield they had in Dharamsala. Looks like another 2/3 day test match. Ridiculous.

#IndvsAus #Indoretest

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What is this pitch!?? Day 1 first session how can the ball turn square, keep low like a day 5 broken wicket? They should have just stuck to whatever pitch/outfield they had in Dharamsala. Looks like another 2/3 day test match. Ridiculous.

#IndvsAus #Indoretest

Swaroop Swaminathan

@arseinho

In 1997, an India - Sri Lanka game in Indore was called off because of a bad pitch and the teams played an exhibition game. This pitch isn't unsafe but pretty close to it being rated bad imo. All kinds of shambles.

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In 1997, an India - Sri Lanka game in Indore was called off because of a bad pitch and the teams played an exhibition game. This pitch isn't unsafe but pretty close to it being rated bad imo. All kinds of shambles.

Peter Lalor

@plalor

I’ll be buggered if this game goes 3 days.

This pitch is ragging and bitchin! Lyon rips one that turned and kept low through Pujara first over.

India 3-39 in 40 minutes of play.

Kuhnemann took first 2.

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I’ll be buggered if this game goes 3 days.

This pitch is ragging and bitchin! Lyon rips one that turned and kept low through Pujara first over.

India 3-39 in 40 minutes of play.

Kuhnemann took first 2. https://t.co/eCEPjsaGIU

Harsha Bhogle

@bhogleharsha

Already the batters aren't trusting their defence. Tells you what their understanding of the pitch is: take the bowling on early. Interesting though that this was Rohit who had shown such skill against spin.

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Already the batters aren't trusting their defence. Tells you what their understanding of the pitch is: take the bowling on early. Interesting though that this was Rohit who had shown such skill against spin.

Anindya Dutta 🇮🇳

@Cric_Writer

The frailty of the Indian top order aside, what a terrible Test match pitch to produce ! The groundsman at Indore deserves to be sacked for this. You don’t need rubbish pitches like this anywhere in the world. #IndvsAus

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The frailty of the Indian top order aside, what a terrible Test match pitch to produce ! The groundsman at Indore deserves to be sacked for this. You don’t need rubbish pitches like this anywhere in the world. #IndvsAus

Srinjoy Sanyal

@srinjoysanyal07

You wake up early to watch Day 1 of a Test match. But these kind of pitches simply puncture the essence. You want your team to win but you also want a dogfight. Otherwise, what does a big Test series hold? Yesterday’s drama at Basin Reserve certainly upped expectations. #INDvAUS

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You wake up early to watch Day 1 of a Test match. But these kind of pitches simply puncture the essence. You want your team to win but you also want a dogfight. Otherwise, what does a big Test series hold? Yesterday’s drama at Basin Reserve certainly upped expectations. #INDvAUS

Siddhartha Vaidyanathan

@sidvee

Please raise you bat and celebrate if you get to 20 on this pitch

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Please raise you bat and celebrate if you get to 20 on this pitch

Jamie Alter 😷 🇮🇳

@alter_jamie

Oh bhai, tere bhalo ho is pitch pe. Slow clap, Indore groundstaff. #INDvAUS

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Oh bhai, tere bhalo ho is pitch pe. Slow clap, Indore groundstaff. #INDvAUS

Cricpedia

@_Cricpedia

Pitch Curator be like.....This is my masterpiece
#IndvAus #BGT2023

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Pitch Curator be like.....This is my masterpiece 😂
#IndvAus #BGT2023 https://t.co/wEvcKk9rCi

mon

@4sacinom

Pitch to Indian batters #indvAus

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Pitch to Indian batters #indvAus https://t.co/bB36Og5jyu

Silly Point

@FarziCricketer

Batters on this pitch.

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Batters on this pitch. https://t.co/TgQ9O2ew5F

Vishal.

@SportyVishaI

This pitch is worst than Rohit Sharma's career

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This pitch is worst than Rohit Sharma's career 😭 https://t.co/ILGhXigHE0

Abhinandan

@Abhinandan6638

I want every neutral fan to come forward and bash and criticize bcci and ICT management for this joke of a cricket pitch in Indore...i supported Nagpur and Delhi because those were standard good pitches..This Indore pitch is mockery and murder of Test cricke... ICC should step in

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I want every neutral fan to come forward and bash and criticize bcci and ICT management for this joke of a cricket pitch in Indore...i supported Nagpur and Delhi because those were standard good pitches..This Indore pitch is mockery and murder of Test cricke... ICC should step in

Vishesh Roy

@vroy38

2-0 up and playing on this kinda pitch. Awful and disgusting #INDvAUS #BorderGavaskarTrophy

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2-0 up and playing on this kinda pitch. Awful and disgusting #INDvAUS #BorderGavaskarTrophy

भाई साहब

@Bhai_saheb

After see today's Pitch request to BCCI

#INDvAUS #BGT2023

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After see today's Pitch request to BCCI

#INDvAUS #BGT2023 https://t.co/9bcjGBTWGZ

Nikhil Naz

@NikhilNaz

Looking at the way the pitch is playing in Indore, another 2-and-a-half-day test coming up.

#INDvsAUS3rdTEST

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Looking at the way the pitch is playing in Indore, another 2-and-a-half-day test coming up.

#INDvsAUS3rdTEST

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Virat Kohli bails India out after an early debacle

With the team in trouble after losing half their wickets, Virat Kohli stepped up to the task and shared a small partnership with wicketkeeper-batter KS Bharat to rescue India.

The former skipper looked good in the last two Tests but failed to convert starts into big knocks. He has looked well on course to end his three-year century drought in the red-ball format of the game.

At the time of writing, the home side were 70/5, with Kohli batting at 22 alongside Bharat, who is unbeaten at 10.

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