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captain Rohit Sharma has slammed the criticism of the pitch in Indore, claiming surfaces in India are subject to higher scrutiny than anywhere else in the world.<br>The deck that produced 31 wickets in six-and-a-half sessions in the third Test between India and Australia .<br>Match referee Chris Broad wasted no time handing down his verdict, with the ICC confirming the rating about seven hours after completed a famous nine-wicket victory before lunch on day three of the match at Holkar Stadium.<br> <br /> In his report, Broad noted the pitch ‘was very dry [and] did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start.'<br>Poor ratings for pitches cost venues three demerit points, with any ground that accrues five demerits over a five-year period in danger of being banned from hosting international cricket for 12 months.<br> India captain Rohit Sharma has slammed the criticism of the pitch in Indore as unfair<br> The deck at Holkare Stadium was rated as ‘poor’ by the ICC after 31 wickets fell in just over two days of cricket as Australia wrapped up a nine-wicket win<br> The pitch was deemed as ‘too dry’ and ‘favouring spinners from the start’, with spinners claiming 26 of the 31 wickets to fall in just over six sessions<br>The pitch in Indore came in for heavy criticism after on the opening day of the third Test, with the hosts losing seven wickets in the morning session.<br>, becoming only the third team to win a Test in India in the last decade.<br>Sharma, however, insisted India’s dismal showing in Indore had more to do with Nathan Lyon’s brilliant bowling than the pitch after t. <br>He also pointed out Cheteshwar Pujara and Usman Khawaja both seemed untroubled by the surface, with the Indian star making a valiant 59 in the second innings and the Aussie opener piling up 60 in his first dig.<br>’This pitch talk is just getting too much,’ he said. <br>’Every time you play in India there’s only focus on the pitch.
Why are people not asking me about Nathan Lyon and how well he bowled, how well [Cheteshwar] Pujara batted, how well Usman Khawaja played. <br>’We focus too much on the pitch here in India and I don’t feel it’s necessary.'<br>Speaking on Fox Cricket on Wednesday, , describing the pitch in Indore as ‘not up to standard’ for Test cricket.<br>Of the 31 wickets that fell in Indore, 26 were taken by spinners. But far from having a problem with the deck, Sharma insisted the surface was exactly the kind of spin-friendly surface his team relished. <br>’Former cricketers, I don’t think they played on pitches like this. <br>’These are the kinds of pitches we want to play on, this is our strength.
When you’re playing at your home, always play to your strength. Our strength is spin bowling and batting depth.<br> Nathan Lyon ripped through India’s batting line-up and finished with 11 wickets in the match<br> Sharma (middle) insisted the spin-friendly decks were exactly what his team wanted <br>’Everyone uses that advantage as home side, so what’s wrong with that.
We’ve got to do that as well. Especially when we are getting results. If we were not getting the results, I would think otherwise. <br>’But we are playing well, getting the results we want.'<br>Sharma’s stance was echoed by Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar, who claimed the pitch in Indore would not have been panned as widely had it been in a different country. <br>’One thing I would like to know, there was this Test match in November in Brisbane [at the] Gabba, where the match finished in two days,’ he told India Today.<br>’How many demerit points did that pitch get and who was the match referee there.'<br> wrapped up a six-wicket win against in two days i last year.<br>Skittled for 152 on Day One, the tourists were all out for ventura cruise ship latest news 99 shortly after tea on Day Two, leaving Australia needing 34 to win and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.<br>Travis Head and South Africa wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne were the only two players to make a half-century, with an astonishing 34 wickets falling in under six sessions in . <br>Gabba curator David Sandurski subsequently admitted .<br> Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar (left) batted away the criticism of the pitch in Indore, suggesting the pitch at the Gabba in November last year was even worse<br> The Brisbane deck came under fire after 34 wickets fell in under six sessions during the opening Test of Australia’s series against South Africa in November <br>With just 144.2 overs bowled across the four innings, the Test and was the first on Australian soil to end within two days since the West Indies were routed in Melbourne in 1931.<br>’The proof is in the pudding,’ he told . <br>’The scorecards are there.
You can’t deny it. It is obviously not good enough for a match of this magnitude. <br>’I am obviously disappointed. No-one wants to have a two day Test. All the signs in the preparation pointed towards it being a reasonable wicket.'<br> <br>
