The Indian team lost the third match against Australia by nine wickets in Indore. After the match, International Cricket Council (ICC) provided a blunt verdict over the pitch of Indore. ICC rated the Holkar Stadium pitch as “poor”. After this, India’s legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was seen as furious over the ICC verdict and called it a “harsh” decision.
ICC provided three demerit points; ICC Match Referee Chris Broad said: “The very dry pitch did not balance bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start. The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface. It occasionally broke the surface, providing little or no seam movement and excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match.”
Talking to India Today, former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar stated that the decision of the ICC was a bit “harsh” toward the Indian pitch. He was also furious and remembered the Gabba test match between South Africa and Australia of the two test match series earlier in February, ending in just two days.
“One thing I would like to know, there was this Test match in November in Brisbane Gabba, where the match finished in 2 days. How many demerit points did that pitch get, and who was the match referee there?” he questioned. “I think 3 demerit points is a little harsh because, in this pitch, yes, the ball turned, but it was not dangerous. When Australia scored 77 for the loss of one wicket, it tells you that the pitch got a lot better,” said Sunil Gavaskar.
The Gabba Pitch was really tough to bat, after which many former cricketers and cricket pundits criticized the Gabba Pitch, including the former South African skipper Dean Elgar.
ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees member Richie Richardson had read, “Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers. There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement. The odd delivery was also kept low on the second day, making it difficult for batters to build partnerships. I found the pitch to be “below average” per the ICC guidelines since it was not an even contest between bat and ball.”
