Boxing Day Test: What does the MCG pitch have in store for India?

With three matches completed in the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the batters are seen entangled in an uphill battle. The top order of both teams is staging the ultimate struggle, denying a stable start to the innings. While Australia has an edge with Travis Head in the form of his life against India, for India, only KL Rahul has emerged as a reliable prospect in the entire lineup. Moreover, with no significant support from the other end, there is only so much a batter can do alone. Barring the opening Test of the BGT, which India won, the visitors have not performed well with the ball. From the scenes witnessed across the three matches, Jasprit Bumrah has emerged as the sole performer carrying the entire campaign of India on his back.

How's MCG going to play in the Boxing Day Test?

For Jasprit Bumrah, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far, the update from Melbourne is a positive one. However, the batters of both sides might have grown a headache. The iconic Boxing Day Test is poised to host the teams on a pitch aiding the pacers. Moreover, the weather in Melbourne, famous for showcasing all three seasons in a single day, has been cloudy since Sunday. Meanwhile, the pitch curator, Matt Page, prepared the turf to showcase a thrilling battle.

Discussing the psyche behind preparing the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, Page explained that he sensed no need to tweak the pitch’s nature from what they have aced in the last couple of years. The curator mentioned that it was a conscious decision taken by the management to offer some grass and spice to the pitch, in order to make the longer-format battles more interesting.

“We have been happy with what we have served up in the last couple of years and we don’t see any reason to change that. Seven years ago, the pitch was quite flat. We sat down as an organisation and said we want to create more exciting Tests, so we leave more grass on now. And that brings the bowlers into it a bit more, but the surface is still good for batting once the new ball goes off. We have been running on six millimetres of grass and we will monitor that,” he said.

When asked if the pitch prepared for the fourth BGT fixture would interest Jasprit Bumrah, Matt Page was quick to note that all the “good” bowlers remain happy at the MCG. The curator agreed that while Melbourne is not traditionally as quick as Brisbane and Perth, it provides significant challenges. Moreover, with the grass visible on the pitch for the Boxing Day Test, pacers would remain interested in banking on the conditions.

“All the good bowlers get excited when they come here now. It gets through well for us,” Page said. “We’re never going to be as quick as Perth and Brisbane, but over the last few years we’ve managed to get some pace in it, which has created that excitement. There’s a bit of grass on it. If you’re a fast bowler and you look at it, you probably do get excited,” Matt Page explained.

What's up with India practicing at used pitch for the Boxing Day Test?

In another update, the controversy brewing over India’s practice session has been curbed successfully. On Monday, some viral scenes from the MCG showed India being provided with a used turf for practice. In contrast, Australia had a fresh pitch to gear up for the fourth match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. However, the matter that picked up pace rather swiftly was nothing but a misunderstanding of the scenario.

The pitch curator for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG later clarified that the teams are provided with a fresh turf for practice only three days ahead of the main contest. Moreover, India had its last practice session on Sunday, missing it on Monday. Thus, naturally, the last time they practiced, India got the used pitch, unlike Australia, who hit the nets on Monday. Now, when India comes down to practice on Tuesday, they will get the fresh turf to refine their plans.

“Three days out, we prepare Test match pitches. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we’ve had. It's a stock-standard procedure for us,” Page said on the matter.

Practicing on a used pitch resulted in the ball keeping low in net sessions for India. The nature of the turf staged some interesting and some concerning outcomes for the team. Devdutt Padikkal, who played in the Perth Test as Shubman Gill tended to his thumb injury, trapped skipper Rohit Sharma in what appeared to be an LBW dismissal. The delivery by the part-time off-spinner kept low as it hit the pad of Sharma’s back foot. Moreover, the likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and seamer Akash Deep endured some blows, gauging the bounce falsely at the turf. Thankfully, none of the concerns materialized into any serious injury issues.