Bengaluru pitch rated below average after three-day test

BENGALURU, India : The M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch used for the second test between India and Sri Lanka has been rated below average by the match referee and received one demerit point, cricket's governing body (ICC) said on Sunday.

The day-night pink ball test finished inside three days as India beat Sri Lanka by 238 runs to win the two-test series 2-0. The pitch offered sharp turn and variable bounce from the first session as 16 wickets fell on day one.

"The pitch offered a lot of turn on the first day itself and though it improved with every session, in my view, it was not an even contest between bat and ball," match referee Javagal Srinath said.

Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period and any venue which accumulates five of them for poor pitches or the outfield will be suspended from hosting international cricket for a period of 12 months.

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)