Australia's "6mm Grass Plan" To Beat India In Adelaide Test, Pitch Curator's Big Revelation

Ahead of the pink-ball Adelaide Test between India and Australia in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Damian Hough, the head curator of the pitch at the venue, said that six millimeters of grass will be used on the pitch. The Adelaide Test, starting on December 6, sees India entering with both a mental and physical edge, following a dominant performance in the first Test led by Jasprit Bumrah's bowling and captaincy. However, the visitors will also aim to exorcise the memories of the infamous 2020 Adelaide pink-ball Test, where they were dismissed for their lowest Test score of 36 runs. On that occasion, Pat Cummins (4/21) and Josh Hazlewood (5/8) dismantled the Indian batting line-up, giving Australia a straightforward target of 90 runs to chase.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference about the pitch and grass cover, Hough said, "Everything seems to stay the same. So it is of course matter grass, even grass cover, good deep moisture, but dry and hard. So something where the quicks will get a bit out of it, spinners will be able to get some bite and turn and bounce. But also important for us to get some partnerships in the players and the players to be able to play their shots. Should be around six. Right now we are at seven, but I reckon it will be six millimetres."

Hough said that though the ground staff is trying to produce a pitch that could offer a fine contest between bat and ball, it could get hard to bat under the lights with the new ball, especially with both teams having quality bowling attacks.

On the possibility of pitch changing with progress of the match like it changed from challenging to easy-to-bat on during the Perth Test, Hough said that while he cannot predict the pitch will change, one always