Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has slammed the Indore pitch where the third Test between India and Australia is currently underway. The Test match has started on a surprising note as Australia blew away India’s batting order in a scarcely believable first session.
The first two Tests of the ongoing four-match series ended inside three days and the possibility of the third Test last all five days is looking highly unlikely. In the first Test, India bowled out Australia for 177 and 91 to win the game by an innings and 132 runs.
The second Test also saw Australia suffering an inexplicable collapse in the second innings as the hosts won that game by 6 wickets. And in the ongoing game, India have suffered a batting collapse that saw them lose 7 wickets for just 84 runs in the first session.
With the pitch offering huge turn and uneven bounce, Australia’s spinners ran riot to blow away India’s top order. At one stage, the home side was reeling at 45 for 5 before Virat Kohli and Srikar Bharat stopped the rot for a while. They shared a 25-run stand for the third wicket before both of them departed in quick succession.
India vs Australia – Matthew Hayden slams Indore pitch:
The Indore pitch has offered unbelievable help to spinners so far. While the ball turned 2.5 and 3.8 degrees in the first session of the first and second Test respectively, it has turned a whopping 4.8 degrees in Indore. Things are only going to get worse for the batsmen as the match progresses.
And one man who was not at all pleased with the turn of events in Indore is Matthew Hayden. The Australia legend did not mince his words as he came down hard on the pitch.
“This is why I’ve got a problem with these conditions. There’s no way in the world that a spin bowler should come on in the sixth over.
“4.8 degrees, that’s massive turn. That’s the sort of turn you’d expect day three. You’ve got to give batters a chance… Day one, day two should be about batting,” Hayden said in commentary.
“It shouldn’t be a spin bowler’s paradise necessarily, it shouldn’t be keeping low and turning a mile on day one,” he added.
Speaking further, Hayden opined that Test matches should not be moving quickly as fast as it is doing in Indore. He also had some words of sympathy for the fans who are expecting the match to last at least 4 days.
“The game shouldn’t be moving forward this quickly. You’re allowed to have a four or five day Test match! Otherwise just call it as it is, we’ll just play three-dayers.
“The game’s at this pace, I feel sorry for fans working out what they’re tickets are going to be on day four,” he said.