Indore pitch rating for India-Australia 3rd Test changed to 'below average' after Indian Cricket Board's appeal

IND vs AUS 3rd Test (Image credit: Twitter)

The Cricket Governing Body on Monday changed the pitch rating for the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore from 'poor' to 'below average' following a successful appeal by the Indian Cricket Board. The venue, which hosted the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test match between India and Australia earlier this month, was given a "poor" rating and three demerit points after the match ended in just two days and one session.

India and Australia locked horns in the third Test at Indore, with the visitors winning the match by nine wickets after the Indian batter crumbled in front of the Aussie spinners. A total of 31 wickets fell in the game, 14 wickets on Day 1 itself with spinners picking 26 of them.

There was a lot of criticism from fans and cricket pundits that the match did not last even four days. Notably, the first two Tests of the 2023 BGT at Nagpur and Delhi also ended within three days. Moments after Australia made a comeback in the series under Steve Smith's captaincy, the Cricket Governing Body match referee Chris Broad issued a verdict saying,

“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.”

Indore to host a few World Cup matches: Reports

The Indore pitch will now receive only one demerit point after the change in the Governing Body's decision. If a venue accumulates five demerit points over a rolling five-year period, it will be banned from hosting international matches for 12 months. However, amid all these, reports suggest that Indore's Holkar Cricket Stadium is among the 12 venues shortlisted by the Indian Cricket Board to host the 2023 ODI World Cup.

India and Australia will again clash in the World Test Championship final, which will be played at The Oval in June. The Men in Blue had however qualified as the second team to reach the WTC final after New Zealand thrashed Sri Lanka 2-0 in their home Test series.