The first match between India and Australia in the Border Gavaskar Trophy is from November 22. The drop-in pitch for the first match of the series was laid at the Optus Stadium last month.
After battling dusty pitches on home soil and deciding to postpone their only practice match ahead of the first Test, India might face tough conditions in Australian conditions. India's first match is at the Optus Stadium and the pitch is expected to be similar to the WACA ground (fast and bouncy), which will be quite challenging for India.
India and Australia will play their first match in the Border Gavaskar Trophy from November 22. The drop-in pitch for the series opener was laid at the Optus Stadium last month. The pitch preparation was underway since September. It has the same local soil and grass species found in the WACA pitches. The pitches were relatively fast and bouncy during the Sheffield Shield season.
At first glance, the pitch looks set to offer plenty of bounce and pace for the fast bowlers.
'This is Australia, this is Perth... I'm preparing a pitch that has great pace, bounce and carry. I want this match to be similar to the one we played last year,'
McDonald and his team faced a lot of pressure ahead of last year's Test match between Australia and Pakistan after a mediocre pitch forced the West Indies to lose the match to a fifth day last summer.
The match started off well with David Warner scoring a hundred against Pakistan but the condition of the pitch deteriorated as the match progressed. Large cracks were visible in the pitch, making it difficult for batsmen to play against fast bowlers.
At the end of the fourth day's play, Pakistan's second innings were reduced to 89 runs in 30.2 overs. Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne suffered a finger injury on a short-ball on the third day. After the match, he said that it was one of the most difficult pitches he has played on.
10 millimeters of grass was left on that pitch. McDonald said, 'This (10 mm grass) is a good start. Last year's conditions were quite good and because of this the pitch looked good for the first few days. The presence of grass on the pitch provides pace.'
