Third Test Between Australia and India: Australia's Awesome Has No Compassion For A "Bad" Pitch

About

     Mark Taylor, a former Australian captain, has taken a harsh stance against the three fields being used for the current Border-Gavaskar Trophy, suggesting that some "skullduggery" must have gone into their construction. With one Test match remaining in Ahmedabad, India presently holds a 2-1 advantage. While the ICC assessed the pitches in Nagpur and New Delhi as "average," match referee Chris Broad gave the Indore Test pitch a "bad" rating.

     Australia entered the third Test with a 2-0 lead, but the Indore surface proved to be too much for the Indian hitters, who lost by nine wickets and suffered their only third home loss in 45 Tests over the preceding ten years. 

What they said

     Taylor agreed with the ICC's assessment that the Indore pitch was subpar. "To be very honest, I do believe that the series' pitches have been subpar, with the Indore pitch clearly being the poorest of the bunch. On the first day, I don't think a pitch should go over the top," he told The Sydney Morning Herald. 

     "If the game lasts that long, you might accept days four or five, but not day one; it's just poor planning. Indore, in my opinion, was a really bad pitch and should have been ranked lower," the previous opener stated.

Overview 

     The illustrious Sunil Gavaskar, however, criticised the "bad" classification of the Indore pitch and used the Gabba surface as an example, which the ICC had rated as "below average," despite the fact that the first Test between Australia and South Africa ended in less than two days in December.