The Border Gavaskar trophy is now edging toward an endgame. As the trophy moves to Ahmedabad for the final test, both teams would be trying to give their best in the game and steal a win.
The first day in Ahmedabad ended with Australia having the upper hand. Usman Khawaja played a sturdy knock of 104 and went not out at the end of the day’s play. India would be looking to bounce back tomorrow and pick early wickets to put the pressure back on the Australian team. It is a must-win game for India if they wish to qualify for the World Test Championship final without any hassle.
How’s the pitch at Ahmedabad?
Before the start of the day’s play, all eyes were on the pitch report. After India’s defeat at Indore’s rank turner of a pitch, there was a lot of hue and cry. Thus, there was extra pressure on the curators to create a balanced pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
When the pitch was unveiled before the toss, it wasn’t much of a surprise to anyone. It was a slow, almost green track, with little to no help for the spinners. Initially, there was a little help for the fast bowlers as the ball was swinging in the air, but as the ball became old, that swing disappeared and batting became easy.
Due to the lack of bounce, initially, there were some chances, but the ball was not carrying to the keeper or the slip corridor. But, the Aussie batters waited patiently for their chances and launched an all-out attack when the situation seemed right.
Usually, the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium has a history of being a rank-turner. But, ever since it got rejuvenated in 2021, things have been kind of different here. The current pitch definitely favors the batters a lot and offers more chances for balanced cricket to take place. Bowlers, however, need to put in a little bit of extra effort in order to get the wickets. `
Why is the pitch like this?
The first three games of the series ended within 3 days. The third test at Indore was so short-lived that it ended even before the seventh session of the day could be completed. While the Nagpur and Delhi pitches were rated average by the ICC, the pitch at Indore received poor ratings and was allocated 3 demerit points.
The pitch at Indore was unplayable. The ball was turning from the first delivery of the game and as the game progressed, it got worse and worse. Such a rank-turner backfired on India, as the hosts were bowled out for 109 and 163, handing Australia a victory on a silver platter.
No one was happy with the pitch at Indore. Thus, the pitch at Ahmedabad is quite literally the opposite of it. There is very little help for the spinners, and as the game will progress, it will only get more difficult for them to bowl. India managed to take only 4 wickets at the end of the first day’s play, out of which, 2 were taken by Mohammad Shami while Jadeja and R.Ashwin shared one each.
The way this surface has looked so far, Cricket fans may have to set themselves up for a disappointment as there’s a huge chance this Test match won’t produce a result. The batters are looking rather comfortable, and a big score is on the cards for Australia. Since the pitch is not expected to change a lot, India may follow in the same footsteps, and the match could most probably end in a draw.
Nonetheless, the pitch at Ahmedabad seems a bit of an overcorrection. Without much help for the bowlers, the batters are bound to dominate the game, and it will once again not be a fair competition between bat and ball. However, India would definitely want to produce a result in their favor as the match decides whether India travel to the Oval for the World Test Championship finals or not.
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