BCCI Likely To Challenge ICC's 'Poor' Rating For Indore Pitch: Report

IND vs AUS: The Indore Test match had finished within three days with 26 of the 31 wickets falling to spinners.

Australia's Travis Head (C) greets India's Virat Kohli (2R) next to India's Umesh Yadav (R), Australia's Marnus Labuschagne (2L) and India's Ravindra Jadeja (L) after Australia's victory during the third day of the third Test cricket match between India and Australia at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on March 3, 2023.

Source : AFP

After the International Cricket Council (ICC) rated the pitch used for the third Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Holkar Stadium in Indore "poor", it is now being reported that Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to challenge the decision. The Indore Test match finished within three days with 26 of the 31 wickets falling to spinners with only four being bagged with the pacers and one being a run out.

Even though match referee Chris Broad had noted that the pitch "did not provide a balance between bat and ball" as the balanced was tilted in favour of the spinners right from Day 1, it would be interesting to see whether the world cricket governing body withdraws the demerit points awarded to the international cricket venue in Madhya Pradesh, if the Indian cricket board goes ahead and challenges the decision.

"We will take stock of the situation and decide," a BCCI official was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. The Indian cricket administration body were given a period of 14 days from their verdict of the pitch on March 3 and still have some time to make the final call.

However, it is also pertinent to note that the ICC had recently taken back the demerit points it had initially awarded to the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for a "below par" pitch for the Test match between Pakistan and England. On that occasion, the Pakistan Cricket Board Chaiman Najam Sethi had confirmed that they had written a letter to the ICC to challenge the decision but this time ICC has deemed the pitch "poor" so ICC's stance could be firm.

Meanwhile, the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy commence at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 9. India lead the series 2-1 but need to win the final Test match to seal a place for themselves at the World Test Championship (WTC) final.