'No way a spin bowler should come on in sixth over': Matthew Hayden slams Indore Test pitch
'No way a spin bowler...' - Matthew Hayden slams IND-AUS Indore Test pitch
The third and penultimate Test between India and Australia, in Indore, has been a low-scoring affair. After Rohit Sharma & Co. opted to bat first on Day 1, on Wednesday (March 01), India were dismissed for a paltry 109 before Australia only managed 197 but gained a vital 88-run lead. In reply, India folded for 163 in their second essay to give a paltry 76-run target to the visitors at stumps on Day 2.
A lot has been said and written about the quality of pitch on offer at the Holkar Stadium, Indore -- who became the host last monthafter BCCI shifted the venue from Dharamshala to the city in Madhya Pradesh due topoor outfield conditions. Many former cricketers and experts have slammed the pitch as it has spun considerably from the opening day itself.
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden came down heavily on the pitch and said on Fox cricket, "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. It shouldn’t be a spin bowler’s paradise necessarily, it shouldn’t be keeping low and turning a mile on day one,” the former batter concluded.
Ex-Australian captain Michael Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio, "What is this pitch we’re playing on. For me, it’s the puff and dust that’s being picked up from either the quicks or the spinners. It shows it’s only going to get worse." He added at the end of Day 2, "It’s like a Day 3 pitch on Day 1 in India. You don’t want to see that. India could have been bowled out for 70."
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Day 3 will commence on Friday morning (March 03) with Australia needing only 76 runs to make the scoreline 2-1 in the ongoing 2022/23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Will India spinners spring in a surprise? Only time will tell...