The third Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23 is all set to be played at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. India and Australia will square off at the venue from 1-5 March. With a lead of 2-0, Rohit Sharma-led India will look to bag the third Test too and cement their place in the World Test Championship Final. Meanwhile, Australia will look to turn things around and win the game to gain some confidence.
However, this is going to be no easy task for the visitors with so many issues with their batting. The Australian batters have failed to comprehend the turning tracks in India and as a result, the last two Tests ended in three days. There have been batting collapses, silly mistakes, and whatnot from the Australians. It will be interesting to see how they fight during the third Test. But before that, let’s have a look at the Indore pitch report.
How will the Indore pitch play?
The pitch at Holkar Stadium is no different from a typical Indian wicket. Batsmen get a lot of purchase on the first two days while bowlers start to dominate the proceedings early from Day 3 of a Test match. However, the Indore pitch has an even bounce, unlike the Delhi pitch where the odd ball kept low.
The wicket deteriorates with the passage of play and it becomes difficult to tackle the turn. So, Australian batters will once again be under the pump and will face a tough challenge from Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin. So, the chances of another three-day finish are very high.
What do the numbers say?
The Holkar Stadium has not hosted a lot of Test matches. In fact, there have been only two Tests played so far at this venue. The first Test was played in 2016, between India and New Zealand and the second Test was played between India and Bangladesh in 2019. Both the matches were won by India and by handsome margins.
R Ashwin has taken 18 wickets from four innings at this venue while Ravindra Jadeja has scalped four wickets in four innings. The highest score at the venue is 557/5d (by India).
