The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released pitch ratings for the Indian Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand. India played five Test matches across different venues during this home season.
Kanpur's Green Park stadium's outfield rated unsatisfactory
The first Test of the series against Bangladesh took place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The ICC has rated this pitch as 'Very Good'.
The second Test of the series against Bangladesh was played at Green Park in Kanpur. Due to rain and a wet outfield, the match was curtailed to two and a half days. As a result, the ICC penalised the Indian team by rating the Green Park outfield as 'unsatisfactory', awarding one demerit point. However, the pitch itself was deemed satisfactory.
India then faced New Zealand in a three-match Test series. The first Test took place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while the final two matches were held at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru offered some assistance to the pacers. In contrast, the pitches in Pune and Mumbai were conducive to spin bowling. The ball turned sharply, making batting challenging for both teams.
Despite the varying nature of the pitches, the ICC has rated all three as 'Satisfactory'.
ICC rates pitches and outfields for international matches on a scale of very good to unfit. Venues can receive demerit points for unsatisfactory or unfit conditions: one point for unsatisfactory and three points for unfit. If a venue accumulates five or more demerit points within a five-year period, it is suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.
India's humiliating series sweep against New Zealand
Rohit Sharma-led Team India's recent home Test season didn't quite meet expectations. After a dominant performance against Bangladesh, where they secured victories in both Tests, India was expected to continue their strong form against New Zealand. However, the series against New Zealand turned out to be a disappointment. The Indian team faced a comprehensive whitewash, losing all three Test matches at home for the first time.
Furthermore, India's loss to New Zealand had a significant impact on their World Test Championship points tally. Prior to the series, India was at the top of the table. However, the whitewash dropped them to the second position. To qualify for the final, India must now win four out of the five Test matches against Australia and draw at least one. They cannot afford any losses in this crucial series.
