“Ee to hona hi tha” - Fans split as ICC rates Indore pitch as ‘poor’ following IND vs AUS 3rd Test

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the Indore pitch as ‘poor’ following the third India-Australia Test, which the visitors won by nine wickets on Friday, March 3.

The Holkar Stadium received three demerit points after consultation with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma and stand-in Australian captain Steve Smith.

The development comes after the game finished in just two days and one session. A total of 31 wickets fell in the game, with 14 wickets on Day 1 itself. The spinners took 26 wickets, while four wickets went to the pacers (one was run out).

In a statement, match referee Chris Broad said:

“The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favoring spinners from the start. The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match.”

The BCCI now have 14 days to decide if they wish to appeal against the decision.

As per ICC rules, a venue will be suspended from hosting international cricket for one year if it receives five or more demerit points within five years.

Fans on social media expressed split opinions after the Indore pitch was deemed 'poor' under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

A fan shared a hilarious meme that read:

“Ee to hona hi tha (It was bound to happen.)”

Here are some of the other reactions from across Twitter:

Australia win third Test against India to book ICC WTC final berth

Australia beat India in the third Test in Indore by nine wickets to book their ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final berth.

After opting to bat, India were bundled out for 109 in 33.2 overs as Matthew Kuhnemann scalped a fifer. Nathan Lyon took three wickets, while Todd Murphy chipped in with one.

In response, Australia were bowled out for 197 in 76.3 overs. Usman Khawaja was the top-scorer with 60.

For India, Ravindra Jadeja picked up four wickets, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav settled for three each.

In the second innings, a clinical bowling performance from Nathan Lyon helped Australia bundle India out for 163. The off-spinner finished with remarkable figures of 8/64. Matthew Kuhnemann and Mitchell Starc took one wicket each. Cheteshwar Pujara was India's top-scorer with 59 runs.

Chasing 76, Australia won the game by nine wickets as Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne remained unbeaten on 49 and 28, respectively.

Team India, however, lead the series 2-1 after winning the first two Tests in Nagpur and Delhi. The action will now shift to Ahmedabad for the fourth Test, which starts on March 9.