Ahead of the fourth Test against Australia at Melbourne, a Boxing Day Test match, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said that the team did practice on used pitches and will be getting fresh pitches during Tuesday’s training session. He also offered his assessment of the pitch made so far and the possibility of playing an additional spinner. With the series level at 1-1, the second half of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy promises to be a thrilling ride for the next two matches at Melbourne and Sydney, winning them would be important for both team’s ICC World Test Championship chances.

As Team India navigates through a long, five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against Australia, it faced another challenge ahead of the fourth Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as players negotiated with the practice pitches allotted to them. The pitches used by them in the sessions so far have been old and offered low bounce, unlike fresh surfaces given to Australia for their practice.

During the Sunday’s practice session, a delivery from pacer Akash Deep kept low and hit skipper Rohit on his left knee. While dismissing any concerns over Rohit’s fitness, Akash had revealed the low bounce on the pitch, saying that he felt that the practice surface was meant for white-ball cricket and kept low.

“Such minor wounds are not anything unusual when you are playing cricket. It is not a big concern. But I felt the practice wicket was meant for the white ball and was keeping low. It was difficult to leave. But there are no concerns at all,” the bowler had said as quoted by cricket.com.au.

Reports from Australia suggested that India was practicing on wickets that had been used for the Big Bash League (BBL) and were a bit worn out from use. Pictures from the MCG showed what appeared to slightly worn out wickets on which the Indian team had been doing its practice drills

However, on Monday morning, the MCG head curator Matt Page clarified that fresh pitches are only offered three days before the start of the match.

“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,” he said.

Now, the Indian skipper has confirmed that India did practice on used pitches and will get fresher pitches during Tuesday’s sessions.

“I think those pitches which we trained the last couple of days, I think they were used pitches, I think they were used for Big Bash, and now today is the only day where we are going to get the other side of it, which will be fresher wicket. So we will go and see how it is and we will train accordingly,” he said during the pre-match presser.

On his assessment of the MCG pitch, Rohit said that he had a look a day before and it had a “bit of grass covering”.

“And we are certainly considering the weather factor and all of that. We will see what is the best. I have not seen the wicket today. But whatever we have to do to make the best possible 11 in these conditions, we will try and do that, whether it is playing an extra spinner or not,” added Rohit on possibility of playing an extra spinner.

India’s squad for fourth and fifth Tests: Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd. Siraj, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal, Tanush Kotian.

Team India’s pre-match practice at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ahead of the Boxing Day Test may not have gone as per plan, with stadium pitch curator Matt Page explaining that fresh pitches for the Test match have been prepared only three days prior to the game. India reached Melbourne nearly a week ahead of the Test, and have seemingly practiced for multiple days on unrepresentative pitches for the game. However, Page shut down any claims of bias towards the home side, stating that this has been standard procedure for them throughout.

“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. Today (Monday), we are on fresh pitches. If India had trained this morning, they would have been on those fresh pitches. It’s stock standard procedure for us, three days out,” Page said.

While India have practiced at the MCG for a couple of days already, Australia practiced for the first time only on Monday, and therefore got to play on the pitches that have been prepared for the fourth Test.

Page’s statements made sure to rubbish claims of any ‘conspiracy’ against Team India ahead of the game, a claim that had been made by an Indian website.

Meanwhile, India’s practice has been unideal in more ways than one. Akash Deep and captain Rohit Sharma have copped blows to the body during practice on the pitches with low and uneven bounce.

However, Akash Deep has stated that it’s part and parcel of the game.

“Such blows are common when you play cricket,” he said. “I think this (practice) 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,” Akash Deep said, as quoted by WA Today.

The practice pitch saga adds to the animated build-up to the Boxing Day Test, following the press conference incident, where Australian media have accused Indian players of only answering questions in Hindi.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is where Scott Boland truly feels at home. Out of his 40 Test wickets so far, the most memorable debut came at this very ground. Boland’s first impression was so strong that it remains the most lasting one to date — blowing away England with figures of 6 for 7 in the second innings during his debut, buoyed by his loyal supporters. Now, as another Boxing Day Test approaches at the ‘G’, Boland is ready to step in once again for Josh Hazlewood, continuing the role of the perfect first substitute that has defined his 11-Test career.

And just like a true workhorse, his practice sessions are as regimented as they come. On Monday, during Australia’s first session ahead of the fourth Test, Boland’s focus was clear.

Known for hitting hard lengths, Boland practiced single-net spot bowling without any batters. His aim was to fine-tune the length ideal for the MCG track.

Boland is not a conventional swing bowler and relies more on pace and movement off the track, striving to hit the good length area, typically around five metres.

With assistant coach Daniel Vettori present, Boland was seen trying to land the ball on four yellow cones placed approximately five metres from the batter’s popping crease. For some time, he tried to hit the hard length but there were a few over-pitched deliveries, falling into what could be considered a drivable length.

After few deliveries, Boland went back to his run-up and had a chat with Vettori. While the discussion’s content couldn’t be deciphered from a distance, Boland could be seen walking down the track to readjust the cones. This time, they were placed about seven metres away, slightly back of the length.

During the session, Boland bowled that length more consistently, generating steep bounce, which could spell trouble for the Indian batters.

Smith, Labuschagne slog it out; Webster in better touch than Marsh

With literally no gap between his feet, Steve Smith’s stance looked unconventional and far from aesthetically pleasing, but no one can question the man who has 33 Test hundreds to his name.

As usual, Smith faced an extended session of throwdowns. Despite his laboured century in Brisbane, which must have boosted his confidence, his net session didn’t quite reflect that.

After being bowled by a throwdown, Smith cursed himself loudly and seemed ready to smash the wicket in frustration.

At the other end, Marnus Labuschagne played and missed repeatedly, remaining busy as pressure mounts on George Bailey’s selection committee to consider new options for his position.

But perhaps the middle order replacements currently available may not be half as good as Labuschagne.

Mitchell Marsh, too, had a tough time. Clean bowled once, Marsh didn’t look as comfortable as Beau Webster as they took turns to bat in the same net. While Webster’s footwork was assured and he carried an air of confidence, Marsh looked more circumspect in comparison. 

Since the conclusion of the third Test between India and Australia in Melbourne, multiple controversies have kept fans busy. As the Indian and Australian teams hit the nets ahead of the start of the 4th Test in Melbourne, the glaring difference between their practice surfaces have left fans infuriated. As the pictures from India and Australia’s nets sessions hit social media, fans didn’t have to work hard to point out the drastic change in the conditions of the two surfaces. While Australian batters practiced on new surfaces, Indians were made to toil on used ones.

Over the weekend, the entire Indian team, including top batters like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, as well as pacers like Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj, hit the nets to start preparations for the MCG clash.

Reports from India’s nets session suggested that the pitch offered quite a low bounce, with even the short-pitched deliveries only rising as high as the batter’s waist. Because of the nature of the pitch, India captain Rohit Sharma was also hit on the knee once.

Significant difference between the practice pitches both teams have got in preparation for the Boxing Day Test.#bgt pic.twitter.com/MYyMKZpEGi

— Sandipan Banerjee (@im_sandipan) December 23, 2024

“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.

Meanwhile, the pitches prepared for Australian players’ practice painted a completely different picture. The surfaces looked fresh, offering better preparation opportunities to the hosts.

What MCG Pitch Curator Said On Controversy:

When MCG curator Matt Page was asked about the reason behind the difference in the two surfaces, he said that new practice surfaces are only offered 3 days below, as per the rules.

“We got the schedule of the Indian team well ahead. But we usually give match-centric wickets only three days before the match. It’s applicable for all teams,” Page clarified.

While the Australian team hit the nets for the first time on Monday, on fresh wickets, Indian players decided to give the training session a miss. Whenever the Indian team hits the nets next, they would also be given fresh surfaces, similar to what Pat Cummins and his men practiced on.

Ravichandran Ashwin‘s sudden decision to retire from international cricket came as a shock to not only the entire cricket fraternity, but, seemingly, also to his own family. Ashwin’s father made an explosive rant about the “humiliation” his son had been facing before his retirement, which Ashwin shut down soon after, calling his father “not media trained”. However, Ashwin’s father had reportedly even booked tickets for the fourth and fifth Tests of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Melbourne and Sydney respectively, and had to cancel after his son’s sudden decision to retire.

As per a report in The Indian Express, Ashwin had informed his family about potentially retiring ahead of the series, to which his family had asked him to think it through. Keeping this in mind, Ashwin’s father had reportedly booked tickets for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the final Test in Sydney.

Alas, he had to cancel the tickets in the aftermath of Ashwin’s decision to retire, who informed his family only the night before announcing his retirement. This further emphasised that even his own family had not been expecting such a move.

As it turns out, Ashwin did not even travel with the team to Melbourne, instead came back to India on the very day he announced his retirement.

Following retirement, Ashwin’s father explosively told CNN News 18 that his son had been suffering “humiliation” for a long time.

“The sudden change – retirement – gave us really kind of a shock. At the same time, we were expecting it because humiliation was going on. How long can he tolerate all those things? Probably, he would have decided on his own,” remarked Ashwin’s father.

Ashwin was swift to shut down any controversy arising from his father’s statements, and took to social media to address the situation.

“My dad isn’t media trained. I never thought you would follow this rich tradition of “dad statements”. Request you all to forgive him and leave him alone,” Ashwin posted on X.

India vs Australia: Rohit Sharma at R Ashwin’s farewell after 3rd Test© BCCI