IND vs AUS Perth Pitch: Coming off dusty pitches on home soil, and having decided to postpone their only practice match ahead of the first Test, India is expected to face tough conditions in Australian conditions.
India’s first match is at the Optus Stadium and the pitch is expected to be similar to the WACA ground (fast and bouncy), which will be quite a challenge for India.
India and Australia will play their first match in the Border Gavaskar Trophy on November 22. The drop-in pitch for the first match of the series was laid at the Optus Stadium last month. Preparations for the pitch have been underway since September. It has the same local soil and grass species found in the WACA pitches. The pitches were relatively fast and bouncy during the Sheffield Shield season.
IND vs AUS Perth Pitch, Optus Stadium: Bouncy and Fast Track Awaits
This will be the fifth Test at the stadium which has a capacity of 60,000 spectators. The ground located in Western Australia has not been able to attract many spectators so far. However, it is hoped that a prestigious and much-anticipated series such as the Border-Gavaskar series will give Test cricket a boost here. Initially, the pitch looks set to offer plenty of bounce and pace for fast bowlers.
WA Cricket chief curator Isaac MacDonald told ESPNcricinfo: “This is Australia, this is Perth… I’m preparing a pitch that has great pace, bounce, and great carry. I want this match to be similar to last year’s.”
Curator’s Approach and Previous Experiences
MacDonald and his team faced a lot of pressure ahead of last year’s Australia-Pakistan Test match after a mediocre Australia-West Indies match last summer resulted in a shambolic contest that dragged on for the fifth day.
The match started with a hundred from David Warner against Pakistan, but the pitch deteriorated as the match progressed. Big cracks were clearly visible in the pitch, making it very difficult for the batsmen to play against the fast bowlers.
10 millimeters of grass was left on that pitch. McDonald said, “This (10 mm grass) is a good starting point. It was a very good start in last year’s conditions and the pitch looked good for the first few days due to this. The presence of grass on the pitch provides pace.”
Also, read about the Latest update on Champion Trophy 2025 here.
