Australia suffered a humiliating defeat by an innings and 132 runs in the opening Border-Gavaskar Test against India in Nagpur on Saturday (February 11).
Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja ran through the Australian batting line-up in the first innings, picking a five-wicket haul (5-47) to bundle out the visitors for a paltry 177.
After India took a massive first-innings lead of 223 runs, it was R Ashwin’s turn to demolish the Aussies with the ball. The veteran off-spinner returned with the figures of 5 for 37 in his 12 overs as the hosts bowl out the tourists for a mere 91 to wrap the match inside three days.
Following the Test match, Australia requested the ground staff in Nagpur to not water the center wickets as they wanted to train at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium. However, the Pat Cummins-led side was denied training as the curators watered the center pitches, according to the Australian media.
As a result, former Australia wicketkeeper Ian Healy has come down heavily at the hosts, urging the ICC to intervene and ensure touring teams get the facilities to prepare in the right manner.
"I think it's a pathetic effort. It's really embarrassing, the scuppering of our plans to get some practice sessions on that Nagpur wicket. That's not good, that's just not good for cricket," Healy told SEN Radio.
"The ICC needs to step in here and say, 'Our nations need to trust each other much better, if you request certain conditions to practice and prepare on, you must get them'," he added.
"For them to water the wicket unceremoniously when it was requested for practice is horrible and that has to improve."
Before the start of the Test series, Ian Healy had created quite a stir by claiming how the BCCI doesn’t prepare proper playing wickets for visiting teams. He also said that if given ‘fair conditions’ to play, the Pat Cummins-led side might win the Test series in India.
The second Test will be played in Delhi from February 17 while Indore and Ahmedabad will host the third and fourth Tests from March 1 and March 9, respectively.
