The Indian team practiced on used pitches ahead of the fourth Test against Australia, which left the team dissatisfied. Even Captain Rohit Sharma’s knee injury was attributed to the uneven bounce on the pitch. Accusations of bias towards Australia surfaced, as India practiced on used pitches during the two practice sessions they attended, while Australia had their first net session on new pitches. In response, MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) curator Matt Page defended the pitch choice, stating that standard protocols were followed.
Rohit Sharma experienced swelling in his left knee while attempting throwdowns from assistant staff member Dayanand Garani, and he did not practice on the nets on Sunday. The team decided not to practice on Monday either. It was revealed that the captain had to apply ice to his swollen knee, and the team’s think tank attributed the injury to the uneven bounce of the pitch.
According to PTI’s report, the Indian team had sent their training schedule to Australia two months ago, but the MCG curator insisted on following the standard operating procedure (SOP) of preparing new practice pitches just three days before the Test match. The fourth Test will begin on December 26.
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Regarding why India didn’t get a pitch similar to the main Test pitch, Matt Page told reporters, “We prepare the pitch three days before. If the team arrives earlier, they will get the pitches we have available. That’s why we are on new pitches today. If they had to play this morning, they would have played on the new pitches. Our standard process is to prepare the pitches we need for the Test match.”
When asked if he was aware of the Indian team’s schedule and whether the BCCI had informed Cricket Australia (CA), he confirmed, “Yes, they gave us the schedule. There has been correspondence between CA and the Indian board, but I am not aware of the details.” Page also mentioned that while MCG’s pitch will not have the bounce of Perth or the seam movement of the Gabba, the 6mm grass would make the pitch favorable for fast bowlers. However, there wouldn’t be enough cracks to assist the spinners.
