India’s wounds were compounded after their embarrassing nine-wicket defeat in the third Test of the four-match series against Australia as the pitch at the Holkar Stadium in Indore was given a ‘poor rating’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and a severe punishment of three demerit points.
This has put the venue under a major risk of facing a ban in the future, as according to ICC regulations, any ground receiving five demerit points in a rolling period of five-years will be suspended.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to challenge the verdict. A report by the Indian Express states that the Indian cricket governing body is considering reviewing the decision. As per ICC rules, BCCI has 14 days to lodge an appeal.
We will take stock of the situation and decide,” a BCCI official told Indian Express.
“The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start. The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match,” ICC match referee Chris Broad wrote in his report while announcing the verdict.
Last year, the ICC gave one demerit point and a ‘below average’ rating to the pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for the England-Pakistan Test match. While the match referee had described the pitch as ‘very flat’, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appealed the verdict as the game had produced a result. The PCB’s challenge was successful, as the ICC rescinded the demerit point given to the ground.
India and Australia will now face each other in the fourth Test match of the series on Thursday (March 9) at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
