ICC match referee Chris Broad rated the M Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch for the second Test between India and Australia as "below average". He had earlier rated the Pune pitch for the first Test in the four-match series as "poor".
India won the second Test in Bengaluru by 75 runs after losing the first Test by 333 runs. The third Test will begin in Ranchi from Thursday.
Also Read: The Great Indian Pitch Debate
Due to a variable bounce, Broad rated the pitch “below average” and termed the outfield “very good”, reported ESPN Cricinfo.
Among the six options a match referee can evaluate the pitch by, ‘below-average’ ranks ahead of poor and unfit, and does not carry a penalty or fine.
The Bengaluru wicket saw Nathan Lyon get 8 for 50 on the first day of the Test match while Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin got six wickets each in the first and second innings, respectively.
Pune was the second Indian pitch to be rated poor in two seasons, after India beat South Africa in Nagpur in three days in 2015-16. Since the ICC began its pitch and outfield monitoring process in 2006, four of the seven Full-Member pitches rated poor or unfit have belonged to India.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)