There are certain chances that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will be challenging the rating of the Indore pitch at the Holkar Cricket Stadium by the International Cricket Council (ICC), used in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2023. Even before the commencement of the series, pictures and videos of pitch curators doctoring the pitches have been shared on social media with many passing various comments on them.
There was a lot of humdrum regarding the Nagpur and Delhi pitches, and controversy surrounding the Indore pitch crossed all borders. The rating by the ICC is what is turning out to be the last nail in the coffin.
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Giving his verdict on the pitch, Match referee, Chris Broad said, “The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favoring 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.”
As per the ICC rules, the BCCI has a 15-day window to raise a challenge against the sanction. In all high chances, the BCCI might just want to use it this time for the Indore pitch.
As per the reports of the Indian Express, a BCCI official said, “We will take stock of the situation and decide.” For the unversed, the ICC has given three demerit points to the Indore pitch. If in the coming five years, the Indore pitch goes on to receive at least a couple of more demerit points, thereby accumulating a total of five points, then the Holkar Cricket Stadium will be suspended for a period of one year from hosting any international matches.
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Notably, Sunil Gavaskar was surprised by the decision and raised a massive voice against the ICC’s ruling of the Indore pitch. He was of the opinion that if the Gabba pitch of 2022 where a Test match between Australia and South Africa had ended in two days, received a lenient rating, then on what grounds the ICC is being so strict with the Indore pitch?
Only time will tell how things will pan out ahead for the Indore pitch and if the BCCI will successfully get the ICC verdict overturned.
