India has held onto the Border-Gavaskar Trophy thanks to a 2-1 series lead, but the main talking point has been the excessive spin on the pitches. This was highlighted by a brutal nine-wicket defeat in Indore, a result that was as humbling as it was revealing, particularly after the ICC rated the Holkar Stadium pitch as poor.
Team India managed to successfully retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after taking a 2-1 lead in the four-match series. But the cynosure of the Test series has been the turning pitches. India lost the third Test by a massive margin of nine wickets, that humiliating defeat in Indore was perhaps an eye-opener. The pitch used at the Holkar Stadium was rated ‘poor’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The series wrap-up takes place on March 9 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, with India needing a win to keep their WTC Final hopes alive. In the lead-up to this clash, Sunil Gavaskar questioned the strength of Rohit Sharma's side, noting that the bowling department looks vulnerable without its primary strike bowlers.
Gavaskar pointed out that taking 20 wickets in India is difficult. He believes that without the elite pairing of Bumrah and Shami, and relying on a less seasoned Siraj, the current attack isn't formidable enough. In his view, these dry pitches are intentionally designed to give the bowlers the assistance they need to bowl the opposition out.
Gavaskar further explained that if India possessed a more balanced and powerful pace attack, they might have opted for different conditions. However, since their true strength lies in their spin department, the pitches are tailored to suit them. By avoiding flat tracks that allow batters to dominate, these surfaces are specifically designed to challenge the batters' mental toughness and patience.