*Official* Australia in India 2023

[honestbharani]

I'm kind of whatever on the pitch thing but surely you see how that's different than what's happening here.

Yeah this is definitely more brazen, but like i said, I would wait till morning of the game.

Best thing will be if pitch behaved normally but we managed to spook Aussies out of playing Renshaw.

 

[Burgey]

Overblown IMO. Australia's left handers are Warner (can't score in Asia anyway), Head (lol nuff said), Carey (sweeps everything) and Khawaja who's the only real threat and they already tried keeping him out of the country.

I don't think you're wrong, it's just a novelty.

Head will be in the top three run scorers this series from either side. Get on now.

 

[cnerd123]

Part of it is that a lot of that is simply unavoidable. Traditional Indian pitches are never going to be rapid WACA-esque monsters and the Gabba is never going to turn square on Day 1. That's fine, and good, we want variation in conditions in international cricket, and of course there's some amount of natural variation always in play too. But I think there's a difference between differences in general pitch conditions between countries and difference in pitch on the same pitch, whereby two players playing in the same game are experiencing fundamentally different conditions from the start of the game.

so many times matches have started with clear cracks/patches of grass left on just one patch on the wicket, come on. Again what world have you been living in. This definitely isn't the first time in the history of the game with irregularities on the pitch, and you may argue that it is the first time this is intentional, but I can guarantee you it's not either.

 

[honestbharani]

You could argue that about fast bowlers on flat or spinning decks tbh.

I guess there's always been a preconception a pitch would have certain characteristics, whatever those characteristics might be. I can't say I've seen a situation where certain parts of a pitch are prepped to behave differently to others on the same surface before.

Anyway, no one knows what it'll be like yet. I don't think anyone who's worth taking seriously these days thinks if you go to the SC and get served up a bunsen that it's somehow untoward. That sort of thinking went out years ago among people who are serious watchers of the game. Likewise, being a lefty you always had a traditional sort of disadvantage as a game wore on because there were more RFM bowlers than not, so there would be more rough to a lefty than a right hander. Again, nothing unusual or unreasonable about that before.

Again, I can't say I've ever seen a deck prepped so certain parts of it behave differently to others on the same pitch. It's sort of the equivalent of having a side stacked with lefties and taking the hose before the toss to a good length on a RH off stump on an otherwise flat wicket.

It's certainly... different, if that's what's happening.

It would if reverse swing weren't a thing.

 

[OverratedSanity]

But I think there's a difference between differences in general pitch conditions between countries and difference in pitch on the same pitch, whereby two players playing in the same game are experiencing fundamentally different conditions from the start of the game.

That happens all the time with certain kinds of bowlers being taken out of the game. Many occasions where certain areas of the pitch are patchy too.

This is definitely a very blatant attempt at pitch doctoring, but I'm not convinced it's worse than other instances. Just very very unusual (and funny). If Australia win, I might actually die laughing.

 

[Burgey]

It would if reverse swing weren't a thing.

Sure but not every flat deck reverses.

Anyway, gotta say my initial reaction to this is (a) it may well be a giant piss take, and (b) it's actually pretty ****ing funny if they go ahead and do it, in the same sort of way I chuckle at brazenly out there statements, arguments or submissions.

Before I hose them.

 

[Spark]

That happens all the time with certain kinda of bowlers being taken out of the game.

This is definitely a very blatant attempt at pitch doctoring, but I'm not convinced it's worse than other instances. Just very very unusual (and funny). If Australia win, I might actually die laughing.

They all still experience the same conditions though. A right hander on a deck like what's claimed is going to experience a very very different set of conditions to a left hander.

It's a novelty for sure, a gimmick like I said. My concern is we cross this threshold, it stops being a novelty, and it starts to be done everywhere in increasingly kooky ways - because it's the same for both sides, right? I think that would be a big big big negative step for Test cricket and severely undermine the sport. Like I said, this isn't down to natural conditions or climate or any semblance of skill, this is literally just choosing not to roll and water one part of the pitch. A three year old could do that.

In a fundamental way, it breaks the idea that there's one set of conditions that everyone experiences and everyone measures themselves against, and that fair comparisons can be made between. It'll all be slanted but it'll be slanted roughly the same for everyone, modulo unavoidable natural variation.

 

[honestbharani]

Sure but not every flat deck reverses.

Anyway, gotta say my initial reaction to this is (a) it may well be a giant piss take, and (b) it's actually pretty ****ing funny if they go ahead and do it, in the same sort of way I chuckle at brazenly out there statements, arguments or submissions.

Before I hose them.

Flat decks makes all bowlers useless tbh. We saw that enough in the 00s across almost all countries.

Tracks that are rough and aid spin (produce fast turn) almost always ensure reverse swing is possible. And tracks with variable bounce also always keeps the fast bowlers in play. It's why turners are more neutral than grasscourts.

 

[honestbharani]

They all still experience the same conditions though. A right hander on a deck like what's claimed is going to experience a very very different set of conditions to a left hander.

It's a novelty for sure, a gimmick like I said. My concern is we cross this threshold, it stops being a novelty, and it starts to be done everywhere in increasingly kooky ways - because it's the same for both sides, right? I think that would be a big big big negative step for Test cricket and severely undermine the sport. Like I said, this isn't down to natural conditions or climate or any semblance of skill, this is literally just choosing not to roll and water one part of the pitch. A three year old could do that.

I agree with both you and OS here.

I wonder what sort of galaxybrain you need to possess to prepare a pitch that will threaten left hand batters more when the biggest matchwinners on the opponent batting line up are right handers.


Even drunk Bewda will know better. Lol

 

[OverratedSanity]

Would India have done this if their two best batsmen (Jadeja and Pant) had been available? ?

 

[Burgey]

so many times matches have started with clear cracks/patches of grass left on just one patch on the wicket, come on. Again what world have you been living in. This definitely isn't the first time in the history of the game with irregularities on the pitch, and you may argue that it is the first time this is intentional, but I can guarantee you it's not either.

Name one

 

[honestbharani]

Would India have done this if their two best batsmen (Jadeja and Pant) had been available? ?

Jaddu will score a 100 and shut everyone up about this pitch tbh.

 

[Spark]

I agree with both you and OS here.

I wonder what sort of galaxybrain you need to possess to prepare a pitch that will threaten left hand batters more when the biggest matchwinners on the opponent batting line up are right handers.


Even drunk Bewda will know better. Lol

Yeah just to emphasise, it's the principle of the thing I object to. Not whether it'll work in India's favour or not. Frankly I think there are other ways India could prep a favourable deck which would both be less gimmicky and also more effective. And of course none of us really know if any of this is more than hypothetical yet.

 

[Burgey]

I agree with both you and OS here.

I wonder what sort of galaxybrain you need to possess to prepare a pitch that will threaten left hand batters more when the biggest matchwinners on the opponent batting line up are right handers.


Even drunk Bewda will know better. Lol

Like I said before, I'm genuinely surprised they felt the need to do it (if that's what's happening). This Aus side just isn't that big a threat in Indian conditions generally, I'd have thought. Note sure what it says about where India's collective heads are at tbh.

The great thing is, whether it comes to pass or not, it's given us a bit of interest aside from the usual "will X or Y get a game?" stuff.

 

[CricAddict]

I agree with both you and OS here.

I wonder what sort of galaxybrain you need to possess to prepare a pitch that will threaten left hand batters more when the biggest matchwinners on the opponent batting line up are right handers.


Even drunk Bewda will know better. Lol

Ha ha exactly. Australia's best two batsmen are right handers and with both Pant and Iyer out, India's best performing batsman over the past two years on batting average is Jadeja who is a left hander. Definitely galaxybrain stuff.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Like I said before, I'm genuinely surprised they felt the need to do it (if that's what's happening). This Aus side just isn't that big a threat in Indian conditions generally, I'd have thought.

They're a bit scared imo. They've been **** in recent years relying on a couple of players (mainly Pant and Jadeja, and sometimes Iyer) to bail out the terrible middle order every other game. Clearly spooked that so many of them are missing.

 

[honestbharani]

Tbf, there is a small chance they are doing this coz that side of the pitch is softer. Earlier games here had SLAs running through lineups.

Or maybe it's something we don't know and they are pros who know what they are doing. At this point, it's funny it's looking like this right now, but i would reserve judgement of the pitch till the game actually begins.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Jaddu will score a 100 and shut everyone up about this pitch tbh.

Lol I actually forgot jaddu was back. Nice.

 

[Burgey]

Ha ha exactly. Australia's best two batsmen are right handers and with both Pant and Iyer out, India's best performing batsman over the past two years on batting average is Jadeja who is a left hander. Definitely galaxybrain stuff.

I wanna see a scorecard like:

Warner 3
Khawaja 1
Labushagne 178
Smith 264
Head 0
Handscomb 3 (even though he's RH he's woeful)
Carey 0
Agar 1
Cummins 15
Lyon 25
Boland 10*

 

[Burgey]

Tbh I'd have taken that before any pitch discussions came up.