KINGSHUK KUSARI ∙ 20 Mar 2022
IND vs SL | Bangalore pitch rated ‘below average’ by ICC
The International Cricket Council has rated the pitch used for the India-Sri Lanka Test match in Bangalore as ‘below average’. The M Chinnaswamy stadium hosted Virat Kohli’s 101st Test match starting March 12. While Indian fans cheered for Virat Kohli to make a century - one that has been long awaited from the maestro - their hopes were shattered by a track that seemed to turn square from day one. Former Indian cricketer and match referee Javagal Srinath noted the same and stated that it was not an even contest between the bat and ball. “The pitch offered a lot of turn on the first day itself and though it improved with every session, in my view, it was not an even contest between bat and ball.” India escaped a grim fate after losing four quick wickets as the duo of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer held the innings together and counterattacked their way out of trouble. Eight wickets were taken by spinners in the first innings of the game with Lasith Embuldeniya, Praveen Jayawickrama and Dhananjaya de Silva running riot against the Indian batting. Once India were all out at 252 owing to a stunning 92 from Iyer, Sri Lanka found further troubles while coming into bat under the lights. Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami presented an exceptional show reducing Sri Lanka to 85/6 at the end of day’s play. 16 wickets fell on day one, 9 off which came off spinners. The M Chinnaswamy stadium has incurred one demerit point based on the valuation of the match referee and now have to avoid further sanctions in the next five years. If the stadium accumulates 5 demerit points or more, they will be banned for hosting any matches for the next 12 months from the day of sanction.
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