Instances when Indian pitches were rated poor' by ICC before the Pune Test

Mumbai: The Pune pitch over which the Virat Kohli-led India side lost to Australia by 333 runs within three days has been rated “poor” ICC match referee Chris Broad.

The No. 1 Test team’s batting line-up crumbled like a house of cards in Pune as Aussie left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe picked six wickets in each innings to dish out a humiliating loss to India.

In accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, Broad submitted his report to the ICC in expressing his concerns over the quality of the pitch. This report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which now has 14 days to provide its response.

This, however, is not the first time that an Indian pitch has come under scrutiny. Here are few other instances.

2008 Kanpur

(Photo: AFP)

The Kanpur pitch used for the third Test between India and South Africa was rated “poor” by the match referee Roshan Mahanama. BCCI was handed an official warning by ICC for the poor nature of the pitch. India beat South Africa by eight wickets in Kanpur as 32 wickets fell in three days.

2009 Delhi

(Photo: AP)

The fifth and final ODI between India and Sri lanka at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium had to be abandoned after just 23.3 overs were bowled after match officials declared the pitch unfit and dangerous. The stadium was banned by ICC for one year after an investigation.

2015 Nagpur

(Photo: AFP)

The Nagpur pitch used for the third Test between India and South Africa was also rated “poor” by the match referee Jeff Crowe. India won the match by 124 runs as they beat South Africa within three days. 33 of the 40 wickets to fall in the Test were taken by spinners.