The BGT 2024 series between Australia and India has become a hot spot of controversies ever since the caravan moved to Melbourne for the fourth Test. India won in Perth by 205 runs and Australia hit back in Adelaide with a 10-wicket win.
The third Test in Brisbane ended in a draw due to Indian tail-enders and rain combined to keep the hosts from winning the Test.
As the Indian and Australian teams hit the nets before the commencement of the fourth Test in Melbourne, fans were outraged by the stark discrepancy between their practice surfaces.
As images from India and Australia's net sessions circulated on social media, supporters quickly pointed out the stark contrast in surface conditions. While Australian hitters practiced on fresh surfaces, Indians were forced to work on old ones.
Over the weekend, the whole Indian team, including top hitters Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul, as well as pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Siraj, hit the nets to begin preparations for the MCG match.
According to reports from India's nets practice, the pitch had a low bounce, with short deliveries just rising to the batter's waist. Because of the condition of the surface, India captain Rohit Sharma got whacked in the knee once.
“I think this wicket was for white ball which is why the ball kept low at times. But these blows are common in training. There are no major concerns because of that," India pacer Akash Deep said on Sunday, after the nets session.
On the other hand, the pitches set for Australian players' practice provided a completely different scene. The surfaces appeared to be clean, allowing the hosts to prepare more effectively.
However, the MCG curator Matt Page when inquired, explained that the reason for the disparity between the two surfaces is that fresh practice surfaces are only available for three days below, according to the guidelines.
"Yeah, so, for us, three days out, we prepare test match pitches for here. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we have had. So, today we are on fresh pitches. If India had trained this morning, they would have been on those fresh pitches. So, it is stock standard procedure for us, three days out," Page clarified.
While the Australian squad hit the nets for the first time on fresh wickets on Monday, Indian players chose to skip the practice session. When the Indian team returns to the nets, they will be given fresh surfaces similar to those used by Pat Cummins and his staff.
(ANI inputs)
