Ahead of the fourth Test match against Australia in Melbourne, Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed that the team practiced on used pitches but will get fresh pitches during their training session on Tuesday. He also mentioned whether an extra spinner will be included in the playing XI at Melbourne. The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series is currently tied 1-1 after three Tests. The next two matches will be played in Melbourne (from December 26) and Sydney (from January 3). Both teams must win these Tests to secure a place in the World Test Championship final.
Rohit Exposes Australia’s Strategy
Team India faced another challenge before the fourth Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Indian players expressed disappointment over the practice pitches provided to them. The practice wickets allotted to India were old and had low bounce, whereas Australia was given fresh wickets for practice. Rohit Sharma has now exposed Australia’s tactics regarding this matter.
Fresh Pitches Provided on Tuesday
According to media reports, Indian players practiced on pitches that were previously used in the Big Bash League (BBL). Images from the MCG showed that the practice wickets appeared worn-out. However, on Monday morning, MCG’s chief curator Matt Page clarified that fresh pitches had been prepared three days before the match. He explained, “We are given three days to prepare new pitches. If teams arrive earlier, they practice on the pitches that are already available. Fresh pitches have now been prepared for Tuesday.”
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Rohit Confirms Practice on Used Pitches
Indian captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that the team practiced on used pitches initially and received fresh pitches on Tuesday. He stated, “I think the pitches we practiced on over the past few days were used pitches, possibly used for the Big Bash League. Now we’ve been provided with fresh pitches. We’ll assess them and plan our training accordingly.”
Rohit Assesses the Match Pitch
Regarding the MCG match pitch, Rohit mentioned that he inspected it earlier, and it had some grass cover. He said, “We are considering the weather and other factors. I haven’t checked the pitch today, but we’ll make the best playing XI based on the conditions. Whether that includes an extra spinner or not, we’ll decide accordingly.”
Indian Squad for Fourth and Fifth Tests
Rohit Sharma (Captain), Jasprit Bumrah (Vice-Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (Wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian.
