One of the groundsmen said...: Steve Smith Makes Huge Statement On Ahmedabad's Pitch Ahead Of India vs Australia 4th Test

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On Wednesday, Steve Smith, Australia's stand-in captain, stated that the pitch for the fourth and final Test match against India in Ahmedabad would differ slightly from the first three pitches. He added that there might be opportunities for higher scores on this wicket. The fourth Test will commence on Thursday in Ahmedabad, with the hosts aiming to secure their spot in the ICC World Test Championship final with a win. Despite trailing India 2-1, Australia displayed strong spirit in their first Test match victory on Indian soil since 2017, winning by a comprehensive nine-wicket margin over their rivals in Indore.

Stand-in skipper Steve Smith is yet to pick his side for the Fourth Test against India - as he faces a game of pitch roulette | @NickButler10 #AUSvsIND pic.twitter.com/PiopPWk9Fe

— 10 News First (@10NewsFirst) March 8, 2023

The stand-in captain expects that as the game goes on, the dry heat will cause the pitch to break, giving the player a turn. "Having said that, it's I think 38 degrees out there at the moment, it's pretty hot. Looks like it'll dry out as the day goes on. One of the groundsmen said they might be watering it again today. So yeah, we'll wait and see but in terms of the day before, it certainly looks like it's likely to do less on day one than we've seen so far," Smith added.

"It's just playing what's in front of us really, obviously the scores haven't been big throughout this whole series. India scored 400 In that first Test match and Rohit got 100 and 400 proved to be way too many," Smith opined. "We can only play what's in front of us and it's been those types of wickets where if you get up over 200 even it's been a decent total. We're not fussed or anything, we've never complained or anything about the wickets, we go out and play," he said.

Smith anticipates that the fourth Test pitch, unlike the previous three, where the ball spun immediately, could be the day's flattest track.

Smith stated that he could not recall another instance where he was uncertain about the pitch they would be playing on. On Tuesday, in Ahmedabad, there was an issue caused by Australia being unaware of which of the two pitches would be used for the final Test.

"[There] might have been a couple of [pitches] prepared maybe a bit longer out than two days but I can't remember two days," Smith said.

"I didn't go out and have a look in the afternoon but Alex Carey did. It looked completely different, a lot drier in the afternoon. It's very hot here, 37 degrees, which gives it a chance to dry out and I think that the cover was on for a bit today. So they're potentially worried that it's drying out too much. It certainly changed in a few hours. Having a look today we'll be able to potentially see what it's going to do," the 33-year-old added.

"It's been weird with a bit of the commentary back home, people talking about us playing three quicks and one spinner. It's kind of mind-boggling to me when we look at these surfaces and we see what we've had, 11 innings in six days or something like that, and spinners have taken the bulk of the wickets and you see how difficult it is to play spin," Smith said. 

"It's kind of odd to hear that kind of commentary, but we've had faith in what we're trying to do and it's good that we are able to show that we can play with three spinners and win. We weren't too far away in Delhi either, outside of that hour of madness. Nice to know our plans and everything we are trying to do can work," said Australia's stand-in captain.

This series appears to be on course to end with the fewest balls bowled in a four-match series, with three three-day Tests already completed, and the last one appearing to be headed in that direction. Nevertheless, Smith argued that the groundskeeper had indicated that this game would continue longer than the previous ones.

Smith took the opportunity to make a slight dig at some of the pundits who had suggested that Australia should have selected three fast bowlers and one spinner to play to their fast-bowling strengths. This was the model that led to the 2004 series victory, but on very different surfaces.

"This wicket may be a little bit different. I just had a look at it then. Perhaps it may not spin as much from the first ball or the first day but I do think it will spin as the game goes on. So yeah, there might be opportunities for bigger totals on this wicket," Smith said in a pre-match press conference in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

"Looks like probably of the four wickets we've seen so far, potentially the flattest on day one," Smith added.