Drop-in pitches for India series could be lively, suggests Sridharan Sriram

Concerns, criticism and arguments over ‘drop-in pitches’ have continued to remain a topic of discussion in Australia, with many believing that drop-in wickets have contributed to the flatness and have also sometimes worked against the home side. Australian Football being played in prominent cricket stadiums, be it the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) or Adelaide Oval, have meant that states have resorted to the usage of ready-made drop-in pitches in order to shuffle between sports, making life easier for everyone.

When India toured Australia in 2018, the Virat Kohli-led Indian side triumphed 2-1 over the Aussies to register their first Test series win Down Under and Sriram noted that reckless batting from the Aussies, which did not give their pacers enough time to recover, is what cost them the series.

Having closely worked with the Australian side now for over five years, Sriram has become an integral part of the Kangaroos’ set-up and the very same was evident from ‘The Test’ documentary released earlier this year, where the Indian was seen giving a pep talk to the Aussies. Someone who was with the team throughout the entirety of the Ashes, Sriram noted the relationship between Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to be like ‘teacher and disciple’. 

“His (Marnus) relationship with Smith was that of a teacher and disciple. They would go for breakfast together, practise together and hang out together,” the 44-year-old said.