IND vs AUS: 'Used' Pitch For India, Fresh Track For Australia During Practice Sparks Controversy; Pitch Curator Responds

The Indian team has voiced concerns about the practice pitches ahead of the fourth Test against Australia, set to begin on Boxing Day (26 December), citing inconsistent bounce as the reason behind captain Rohit Sharma's knee injury.

However, MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) curator Matt Page defended the conditions, stating that "standard protocol" was adhered to.

IND vs AUS Used Pitch India vs Australia — 'Used' Pitch For India, Fresh Track For Australia During Practice Sparks Controversy, Photo : X

Rohit sustained swelling in his left knee while attempting to play a throwdown delivered by support staff member Dayanand Garani and was unable to continue his net session on Sunday. The team subsequently decided to skip practice on Monday, 23 December.

On the other hand, the home side were given a fresh track to practice on and the contrasting pictures of both the pitches have now gone viral on the social space.

Observations from India's net session indicated that the pitch had a notably low bounce, with short-pitched balls barely reaching the height of the batter's waist. Due to the pitch's behavior, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was struck on the knee during the practice session.

MCG curator Matt Page stated that, according to the regulations, fresh practice pitches are made available only three days prior to the match.

"We got the schedule of the Indian team well ahead. But we usually give match-centric wickets only three days before the match. It's applicable for all teams," Page clarified.

"So today, we're on fresh pitches. If we needed to play this morning, they would have been on those fresh pitches. Stock standard procedure for us, three days out. We do our pitches that we're going to have for our Test match," he defended his case.

The renowned MCG won't offer the bounce seen at Perth or the seam movement of the Gabba, but it is expected to remain conducive to pace bowling with a 6mm grass covering. According to Page, the surface is unlikely to deteriorate enough to significantly benefit spinners.