IND vs AUS: Rahul Dravid's No-Nonsense Take On 'Pitch Controversy'

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid came up with a straightforward statement in his defence of the three tracks in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore.

The 'nature of pitch' in all three Ind vs Aus Test matches has been the most talked about element. The debate and discussions regarding Indian pitches have gotten more intense than ever since the 3rd Test in Indore ended inside two days and a session. The pitch in Indore got a 'poor' rating and three demerit points from ICC after which the curiosity regarding 'nature of pitch' for 4th Test in Ahmedabad became huge.

Reacting to the ' Indore pitch controversy' for first time ever, team India head coach Rahul Dravid came up with a straightforward statement in his defence of the three tracks in Nagpur, Delhi and Indore.

"I won't go too much into it. Match referee is entitled to share his opinion. Doesn't really matter if I agree with his reading or not. Doesn't matter what I think. But sometimes with WTC points at stake, you tend to play on wickets that produce results," Dravid said as reported by PTI.

However, he didn't forget to mention that data analysis of tracks prepared by home teams in last few years has shown that the 22-yard strips in most places have been challenging.

"It can happen, not only in India but across the world if you see, sometimes it is difficult to get that balance perfectly right for everyone and that can happen not only here but in other places as well," the man with 164 Test matches under his belt said.

Dravid did give a bit of idea as to what has been the trigger behind asking for these kind of raging turners. It was the 2021 Test match in Kanpur against New Zealand where India failed to pick up nine wickets on the final day.

"There is a huge premium on results and if you draw a game like we did in Kanpur versus New Zealand, that sets you back in a home game. When you have 12 for a win and 4 for draw, you want to get a win ahead of a draw," he stated.

There was a hint of sarcasm as well as irritation when he spoke about the tracks in South Africa where India played three Tests early last year.

"We have played on some challenging wickets when we go overseas also. Played in South Africa recently (2022), where spinners were completely taken out of the game," he said curtly.

"And everyone wants to produce wickets where eventually one wants results. You will probably prepare wickets where the ball holds a bit more sway over the bat and that's necessary and part of the game," Dravid didn't deny the bowlers' advantage.

(With PTI Inputs)