Rohit Sharma's decision to bat first in the 3rd Test of the Border Gavaskar Series between India and Australia seems to have gone horribly wrong. But then again, if the pitch extracted vicious turn in the first 20 minutes of play itself, it doesn't suggest play will get any easier with the pitch already seeming to crumble.
India caught in a spin web
Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann were on song as they cleaned up the Indian top order, leaving the home side seven wickets down in the first session itself. All seven wickets were claimed by spinners, with Lyon and Kuhnemann taking three wickets apiece and Todd Murphy taking the crucial wicket of Virat Kohli.
With the pitch demons already showing and the top order helping themselves to an early lunch, India will need a miracle to put up a half-decent first innings score.
While three-day Test matches have been the template for this series, it isn't farfetched to suggest that this Test could wrap up under three days if wickets keep tumbling at the same rate.
Netizens slammed the dreadful pitch on display, with many taking to Twitter to voice their frustration at the lack of contest.
After witnessing the first session of play, former Australian spinner Bradd Hogg tweeted a sarcastic remark.
"One day test match anyone? #INDvsAUS"
Indian wicketkeeper batsman Dinesh Karthik who is part of the broadcasting team for the ongoing series also didn't shy away from mocking the Indore pitch.
"3 day test match loading or even shorter maybe", he Tweeted.
Fans tuning in to watch the match were upset with what they witnessed. As it has been the case with the first two Tets matches, fans called for even contest and the need for a five day cricket that goes down to the wire.
