India vs Australia: India Unhappy with MCG Practice Pitches Ahead of Boxing Day Test

The Indian cricket team wasn’t too pleased with the practice pitches at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) over the weekend. India started their training on Saturday, December 21, and continued on Sunday before taking a day off on Monday.

The main Test pitch is expected to have good bounce, but the practice wickets didn’t live up to the mark. The Indian team was given used pitches on Saturday and Sunday, which didn’t help their fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep. Reports said the ball barely bounced waist-high, even when the bowlers delivered with full force.

During Sunday’s session, a low-bouncing delivery from a throwdown specialist hit skipper Rohit Sharma on the knee. Rohit needed medical help and was off the field for about 30 minutes with an ice pack on his knee. Fortunately, Akash Deep later confirmed that Rohit was fine by the end of the session, easing concerns about a serious injury.

“I think these pitches were for white-ball cricket, so the ball was keeping low. But such blows are common during training. There’s no major worry,” Akash Deep explained.

Australia Gets Fresher Practice Pitches

Fresh pitches are ready for Australia nets at MCG pic.twitter.com/tsbk1ajQWN

— Sahil Malhotra (@Sahil_Malhotra1) December 23, 2024

The situation stirred more controversy when the Australian team received fresher practice pitches with better pace and bounce starting Monday. This raised questions about fairness in preparations.

MCG curator Matt Page addressed the issue, saying it’s normal for them to provide fresh practice pitches only three days before a Test match.

“We received India’s schedule well in advance. But we follow the same rule for every team fresh pitches are made available only three days before the match,” Page clarified.

The MCG training area has two sets of practice pitches. The Australian team waited until Monday to start their training so they could use the fresher set of pitches. If fresh pitches were made available too early five days before the match, they would likely wear out by the time the Test began. To avoid this, fresh training pitches are typically saved for the final three days before a game.

Heated Build-Up to the Boxing Day Test:

🚨 The pitches provided to the Indian team by Cricket Australia for practice were old, used and had low bounce, while the Australian team is being given fresh pitches for their sessions.

Pitch pic - [Revsportz] pic.twitter.com/HoUCL4EEoC

— Vishal. (@SPORTYVISHAL) December 23, 2024

The build-up to the Boxing Day Test has been more intense than the earlier games. Australian media criticized Ravindra Jadeja for speaking in Hindi during his press conference, while Virat Kohli took issue with a journalist for filming his family without permission.

Meanwhile, uncapped Australian opener Sam Konstas, who replaced Nathan McSweeney, expressed happiness after his team’s first training session on Monday. The 19-year-old is likely to debut in the Boxing Day Test, which will be the fourth match in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

With the series tied at 1-1, the Boxing Day Test at the iconic MCG on December 26 promises to be a thrilling contest. Both teams are ready to reignite their rivalry on the big stage.

ALSO READ: "Kohli vs Babar? It’s Funny to Me": Mohammad Amir