Bangalore pitch ‘below average’
In another blow to the image of Indian cricket, the Bangalore wicket on which the second India-Australia Test was played has been rated ‘below average’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Chris Broad in his report.
HT has found that Broad rated the M Chinnaswamy Stadium outfield very good but the wicket below average. A wicket is termed below average if it has either very little carry or bounce or more than occasional seam movement. Earlier, the wicket for the opening Test match at Pune had been termed poor.
The BCCI won’t have to give an explanation for the Bangalore pitch.
While the wicket at Pune got the poor rating as it turned out to be a rank turner, the Chinnaswamy Stadium wicket saw balls According to ICC guidelines, the match referee looks at key factors before determining his rating of the pitch as very good, good, above average, below average or unfit. While Chris Broad has rated the Pune wicket as poor, he has rated the Bangalore wicket as below average. A look at the guidelines for ‘poor’ and ‘below average’ wickets:
It has either very little carry and/or bounce and/or more than occasional seam movement, or occasional variable bounce and/or occasional variable carry.
keeping low. The low bounce cost quite a few wickets, none more glaring than Steve Smith’s dismissal in the second innings when he was struck very low on his pads in front of the wickets.
This is how the ESPNCricinfo’s live commentary described Umesh Yadav’s delivery that got Smith: “A grubber to end all grubbers. This is short of a
If the pitch has excessive seam movement, unevenness of bounce, spin, or the pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn with no bounce or carry.
length, and doesn’t leave the ground at all. Hits him on the boot almost. Bang in front of middle. No doubt about that decision. This would have almost bounced twice before reaching the stumps.”
Smith then looked towards his dressing room to check if he should ask for a review, which he later dubbed as ‘a brain fade’. Earlier, in India’s second innings, Virat Kohli also played for normal bounce but the ball sneaked under his bat and he was ruled leg before. Others to be done in by low bounce were Mitch Marsh and R Ashwin.
The low bounce made it difficult to play the pacers and spinners. Josh Hazelwood, Nathan Lyon, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin all took five-for hauls.
It has been a strange strategy by India. Despite having a strong all-round team and having defeated England on good surfaces, the ploy to use rank turners reflects a defensive mindset where Kohli and coach Anil Kumble don’t want to leave anything to chance.
At Pune, they expected Australia to panic, but the ploy backfired. India were under pressure in Bangalore also, before a 118run partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane bailed them out.