Pitches have been a major topic of conversation throughout Australia's ongoing Test tour of India. Batters from both sides have struggled to score consistently in the three Tests and the pitch that was rolled out at the Holkar Stadium in Indore for the third Test ended up being slapped with a "poor" rating and three demerit points by the ICC.
While India won the first two matches, Australia won the third by nine wickets. India captain Rohit Sharma later said that he was unhappy about the fact that he was not being asked questions about how difficult it was to face the likes of Nathan Lyon, who had taken eight wickets in the Indian second innings, and was instead having to talk about the pitch.
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Now, Australia assistant coach and former New Zealand captain Dan Vettori has said that he doesn't mind the conditions. “I don't mind the surfaces because I feel it's the same for everyone. It doesn't feel like the toss is the key ingredient... you almost know what to expect,” the former spinner has said.
“You turn up and you can see that it's going to be this type of wicket and you can prepare for it. I think that allows some skill to come into it, some perseverance and some fortitude around the things that you have to do.” Vettori said that the Australian batters are starting to get comfortable in the conditions. It was the visiting batters who fared better during the third Test and ultimately batted India out of the low-scoring competition.
{{/usCountry}}“You turn up and you can see that it's going to be this type of wicket and you can prepare for it. I think that allows some skill to come into it, some perseverance and some fortitude around the things that you have to do.” Vettori said that the Australian batters are starting to get comfortable in the conditions. It was the visiting batters who fared better during the third Test and ultimately batted India out of the low-scoring competition.
{{/usCountry}}"The batting group, hearing them talk, has started to bind to that as well. A score of 30 could be a great day. It's how you get that 30 that makes such a difference. The challenge is in accepting it more than anything. That's easier said than done," said Vettori.
Australia's Nathan Lyon claimed 11 of the 20 wickets in Indore and has been well backed in the series by the likes of newcomers Matt Kuhnemann and Todd Murphy. Vettori said he was delighted with the consistency the duo had shown.
"That's the main challenge on these surfaces," Vettori said. "The expectation is so high that you're going to do well and you are going to take a wicket every ball. I think the guys who do it consistently, there are quite a number of them on show in this series from both teams... they don't wilt to the pressure. They understand their process and they repeat, repeat and repeat."