Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has refused to give a clear cut answer on the nature of the Indore pitch that was used for the third Test against India. The ICC gave the pitch a ‘poor’ rating after the game ended in just two days and one session.
Batsmen from both the sides struggled to time the ball as Australia bowled out India twice in two days while also being bowled out by the hosts. The conditions were so tough that India head coach Rahul Dravid was seen talking to the curator during the lunch break on day 1 after India lost as many as 7 wickets inside the first session.
Australia bowled out India for 109 and 163. India, on the other hand, bowled Australia out for 197 that saw them pick the last 6 wickets for just 11 runs. Set a target of 76, Australia chased it down by losing just 1 wicket to win the contest by 9 wickets.
Andrew McDonald on Indore pitch:
With the Indore pitch hogging all the limelight following the frenetic finish of the third Test, Andrew McDonald was asked about it. In reply, the former Australia allrounder was careful in his assessment of the pitch and decided against saying anything that could cause controversy.
“I mean, our job is to play on the pitch. So whatever they they roll up, our job is to problem solve what’s in front of us. So that’s for others to work through,” Andrew McDonald told reporters in Indore.
“I mean the ICC are..yeah, they give every pitch a rating and they gave this one a poor. So you know we don’t talk when they give it a good rating. So it’s up to them how they want to navigate through that. So the conditions were extreme. I think they’ve been extreme for all three test matches,” he added.
Incidentally, all the three Tests of the series so far have ended inside 3 days. India are currently leading the series after winning the first two games and would be keen to bounce back in the fourth one. The final Test is scheduled to get underway from March 9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.