"Mockery Of Test Cricket": India Legend's Scathing Verdict On Indore Pitch

01.03.2023 - 19:47 sports.ndtv.com

The wicket nature of the 22-yard strip at the Holkar Stadium where deliveries started turning square from the word go has reignited the debate of the India dishing out under-prepared surfaces for the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy games against Australia.The ICC match referee Chris Broad is almost certain to take cognisance of the diabolical nature of the track and it won't be surprising that after Nagpur and Delhi which were rated "average", the track for the ongoing Test match could well get a "Below Average" rating.

India were all out for 109 in just over a session while Australia managed to crawl to 156 for 4 as 14 wickets fell by the end of the day's play.

All teams like to have conditions of their choice at home but what should be the extent of that home advantage? Another Test is set to be completed inside three days.

Is that good for the game? And did the curators get enough time prepare the surface with announcement of the game being shifted from Dharamsala coming only two weeks ago?

cricket 2023 Test on Nathan Lyon Rohit Sharma Matthew Kuhnemann Australia India Delhi

Star India batter Virat Kohli was on top of his powers in the fourth Test against Australia, which ended in a stalemate on Monday. Kohli looked in his element during the entire high-scoring encounter and scored his 28th Test century. It was Kohli's first century in the format after a gap of more than three years. Kohli's marathon 186-run knock guided India to a massive 1st innings total of 571, and was named 'Man of the Match' for his efforts.

"Test Cricket Is Hard-Fought": Rohit Sharma's Honest Verdict On India's Performance In Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Following his side's series win over Australia, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma remarked that the series was "fantastic" and different players contributed to the team's win by taking responsibility to bail the side out of difficult situations. Half-centuries from Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne helped Australia draw the fourth and final Test of the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday. "It was a fantastic series. Right from the word go, how exciting it was. A lot of the players are playing this for the first time. We do understand the importance of this series and the opposition. A lot of hard work has gone into this. At different times we have come up with answers. We knew how important it was to start the series. The Delhi Test, I am very proud of. We were behind in the game. At Indore, we were put under pressure and lost the game. Different players put their hands up. A lot of guys took up the responsibility and bailed us out," said Rohit in a post-match presentation.

Virat Kohli Ends Century Drought, Slams Elusive 28th Test Ton In 4th Test vs Australia

Star India batter Virat Kohli on Sunday ended his century drought in Test cricket as he slammed an elusive 28th ton in the format on Day 4 of the ongoing fourth Test against Australia at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Kohli, who last scored a Test century on November 22, 2019 during a day-night Test against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, took 241 deliveries to reach triple figures. This was Kohli's 75th century in international ton, and it has put India in a strong position in the match.

"Hi Dadda": Usman Khawaja's Daughters Cheer As Batter Scores Big In 4th Test Against India. See Pic

Australian opener Usman Khawaja scored a sensational 180, helping Australia post 480 runs being the side was bundled out by India on day two of the fourth Test on Friday. Khawaja's mammoth knock off 422 balls and his 208-run fifth-wicket partnership with Green put the tourists in the box seat in Ahmedabad. It was indeed a special knock for Khawaja as he raced to his first Test century on Indian soil on Thursday before taking the knock further on the following day.

"Hi Dadda": Usman Khawaja's Daughters Cheer As Batter Scores Big In 4th Test Against India. See Pic

Veteran India Star Delivers Verdict On Rohit Sharma's Captaincy, Questions Axar Patel's Role

Veteran Indian cricket team wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik appreciated Rohit Sharma's captaincy during Day 1 of the fourth Test match against Australia on Thursday but also pointed out multiple occasions where he could have done better. With 9 overs to go in the day's play, Rohit decided to go with the second new ball and that resulted in Aussie batters scoring freely towards the very end of the day. Karthik said in a recent interaction that Rohit could have taken the new ball directly on Day 2 and also made a couple of points about how he has used spinner Axar Patel in the match till now.