'Looks Like..': Steve Smith Shares His Assessment Of Ahmedabad Pitch Prior To Fourth Test Against India

IND vs AUS: Notably, each of the three Test matches so far have finished inside three days with the hosts coming out on top in the first two Test matches but Australia winning the third.

Smith will lead Australia in the fourth Test match in the absence of Pat Cummins.

Source : AFP

In a massive statement ahead of the final Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Australia's stand-in captain Steve Smith has rated the Ahmedabad pitch probably the flattest of all the four surfaces that they have played on this series.

Notably, each of the three Test matches so far have finished inside three days with the hosts coming out on top in the first two Test matches but Smith leading the Kangaroos to victory in the third Test match in Indore.

With Pat Cummins back in Australia to remain with his ailing mother, Smith was initially named captain only for the Indore Test but with Cummins still there Smith will continue to lead the side. He attended the press conference on the eve of the final Test match.

"Looks like probably of the four wickets we've seen so far, potentially the flattest on day one," Smith said at the presser as quoted in a PTI report.

However, the 33-year-old also indicated that Ahmedabad will witness a lot of heat during this time of the year which could mean that the pitches might crack up as the match progresses which could mean more assistance to the spinners as more overs are bowled.

"Having said that, it's I think 38 degrees out there at the moment, it's pretty hot. Looks like it'll dry out as the day goes on. One of the groundsmen said they might be watering it again today," he said.

Wickets have been a matter of some debate in this series with the pitch assisting spinners from Day 1. The wicket used for the third Test match at the Holkar Stadium in Indore was even rated "poor" by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as the match referee Chris Broad noted that the 22-yards "did not provide a balance between bat and ball."

26 of the 31 wickets in the Indore Test had fallen to spinners with four going pacer's way and one being a run-out.

India need a win in the Ahmedabad Test to set up a World Test Championship final against the same opposition in London in June. However, if the fail to win this they can still qualify but will have to depend on the result of the Sri Lanka-New Zealand series which also gets underway on March 9.