Ratings out for India vs Australia pitches, SCG only venue to get ‘satisfactory’ remark

The ICC announced the pitch ratings for the five surfaces used during the course of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and it was good news for Cricket Australia as four out of the five achieved the highest standard possible with the ‘very good’ rating.

In a series that saw four results and a single draw due to poor weather, the Optus Stadium in Perth, the Adelaide Oval, the Gabba in Brisbane, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground all received the highest rating standard. The Sydney Cricket Ground, which was a bowler-friendly wicket and saw the Test wrapped up in three days, was the only one to miss out, but still received the second-highest mark of ‘satisfactory’.

With the standard of pitches allowing for entertaining cricket with a solid balance between bat and ball, Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket Operations and Scheduling Peter Roach delivered a press release following the strong showing in the BGT.

“We are delighted by the quality of pitches produced for the NRMA Insurance Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and grateful for all the hard work of the curators and venues across the country,” said Roach. “We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket. We strongly believe that this is one of the reasons that Test cricket is so popular in Australia.”

Australia make use of home conditions to land BGT

Australia wrapped up a 3-1 series win with a victory at the SCG, marking the first time in a decade that the team beat India out for the BGT. India had won the two previous tours in Australia as well, marking this as an important result for Pat Cummins’ team.

Roach defended the slightly more volatile nature of the SCG surface as well, with the pitch showing plenty of movement and carry. Typically considered the most spin-friendly of Australia’s Test venues, spinners didn’t really have an impact this time around.

“The SCG has been striving to bring out their unique characteristics of early pace and bounce before the pitch wears and spins. This year was a step in the right direction to achieving this which provided an exciting finish to the Border Gavaskar Trophy series and bodes well for the Ashes summer in 2025-26,” explained Roach.

While Rishabh Pant, amongst other batters, was struck repeatedly by the bowling during his first innings, the ICC didn’t notice enough in the pitch to call it dangerous and therefore downgrade the rating to unsatisfactory or unfit.

“The series also emphasised the benefits of playing first-class cricket at major venues. It allows our curators to become more familiar with the different challenges that go into preparing wickets in different weather conditions, and also allows players to enter the Test team familiar with the conditions they will confront,” concluded Roach’s statement, with Nathan McSweeney, Sam Konstas, and Beau Webster all earning their debuts for Australia this series, with the latter two impressing early in their careers.