Smith baffled by latest Indian pitch mystery

1 year ago 112

Australian skipper Steve Smith has been near baffled by the enigma surrounding the transportation for the fourth Test against India, with the tourists inactive unsure which aboveground they'll beryllium playing on.

Despite the 4th Test being little than 24 hours away, Smith and Australia's campy isn't definite which of the 2 pitches being prepared astatine Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium volition beryllium utilized for the bid finale.

One of the pitches being prepared has much achromatic soil, portion the different is reddish soil-based, and the Australian campy believes the Indian players person had an power connected which 1 volition beryllium used.

"I can't retrieve (with) 2 days out, not knowing which wicket we're on," Smith told reporters.

"The groundsman said 60 per cent (chance the Test would beryllium played on) the achromatic ungraded (pitch) and 40 per cent the reddish soil, and the boys are saying the percentages person gone up connected the achromatic ungraded arsenic each the Indian players were looking astatine the achromatic ungraded 1 erstwhile they arrived today."

Incredibly, by the clip Australia had completed their signifier session, Smith was notified that the transportation appeared to person a "completely different" look.

"I didn't spell retired and person a look successful the day but Alex Carey did," Smith said.

"It looked wholly different, a batch drier successful the afternoon. It's precise blistery here, 37 degrees, which gives it a accidental to adust retired and I deliberation that the screen was connected for a spot today.

"So they're perchance disquieted that it's drying retired excessively much. It surely changed successful a fewer hours. Having a look contiguous we'll beryllium capable to perchance spot what it's going to do."

Regardless of what wicket is served up by the curators, Australia appears each but definite to deploy a three-man rotation onslaught for the 2nd consecutive Test.

Smith was near baffled by calls for Australia to opt for its accustomed bowling operation of 3 pacemen and 1 spinner aft the archetypal 2 Tests, with the skipper calling the disapproval of the squad creation "mind-boggling".

"It's been weird with a spot of the commentary backmost home, radical talking astir america playing 3 quicks and 1 spinner," helium said.

"It's benignant of mind-boggling to maine erstwhile we look astatine these surfaces and we spot what we've had, 11 innings successful six days oregon thing similar that, and spinners person taken the bulk of the wickets and you spot however hard it is to play the spin.

"It's benignant of unusual to perceive that benignant of commentary, but we've had religion successful what we're trying to bash and it's bully that we are capable to amusement that we tin play with 3 spinners and win. We weren't excessively acold distant successful Delhi either, extracurricular of that hr of madness. Nice to cognize our plans and everything we are trying to bash tin work."

The 4th and last Test of the bid volition get underway from 3pm AEDT connected Thursday.

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