Recently, India played five Test matches at home. Among these, two were against Bangladesh and three against New Zealand. However, the ICC was satisfied with only one of these pitches. They were particularly unhappy with the pitch in Kanpur.
India played against Bangladesh in Chennai and Kanpur. They faced New Zealand in Bengaluru, Pune, and Mumbai. ICC match referee Jeff Crowe was not pleased with the Kanpur pitch. Questions have been raised regarding the drainage system of the Green Park Stadium. Despite minimal rain during the first two days of the Test, the game could not be played. However, India won the match within two days of starting. The ICC described the pitch in Kanpur as “unsatisfactory.”
The pitches used in the three matches against New Zealand also failed to satisfy the ICC. Former Australian cricketer David Boon was the match referee. He did not have many positive remarks about these pitches. The pitches in Mumbai and Pune were spin-friendly, while the one in Bengaluru provided assistance to pacers. However, Boon was not impressed with these pitches and described them as “satisfactory.”
The ICC collects feedback from match referees on the conditions of the pitches after every international match. They use six evaluation categories: very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, below average, poor, and unfit for play. Out of the five Test matches, only the pitch in Chennai was rated as “very good” by the ICC.
