Ravichandran Ashwin Praises Puducherry Pitches, Says They Demand More From Batters in ODIs

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has praised Puducherry for producing balanced pitches in the ongoing unofficial ODI series between India A and Australia A, saying such surfaces are ideal for one-day cricket because they challenge batters and reward tactical awareness.

Commenting on matches being played at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground, Ashwin said the pitches were creating conditions in which totals of around 250 were difficult to chase.

“Right now! Pondicherry seems to be producing the kind of pitches ODIs should be played on,” Ashwin wrote on X. “250 chases look stiff! Producing pitches like these will demand more from the batters, tickle their tactical thinking and game awareness.”

The ongoing series has featured competitive contests, with scores below 300 proving sufficient to secure victories in the first two matches.

Australia A scored 274 in the opening unofficial ODI before bowling India A out for 149 to register a 125-run win. In the second match, Australia A posted 275 and dismissed India A for 206, securing a 69-run victory.

Those results gave Australia A an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with one match remaining.

The pattern continued into the third game, in which India A scored 275 in their first innings. Across the five innings covered in the first two matches and the third match’s opening innings, only one century was recorded — by Australia batter Nathan McSweeney in the series opener. Five scores of 50 or more were also recorded.

Ashwin’s comments come against the backdrop of recent high-scoring encounters between India and the West Indies, where batting-friendly conditions have contributed to huge totals and successful chases.

In the second ODI of the three-match series, India chased down 406 with eight wickets in hand and 39 balls remaining. Captain Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 223, while Rohit Sharma made 101 as India completed what the report described as the second-highest successful chase in ODI cricket, behind South Africa’s pursuit of 435 against Australia in 2006.

Batters again dominated the third ODI. India posted 351/7, but the West Indies chased down the target with five wickets remaining and 10 balls to spare.

West Indies captain Shai Hope struck 162 to lead the chase. Earlier, Rohit Sharma scored 92, Ruturaj Gaikwad made 57 and KL Rahul contributed 129 for India.

The pitch in the third ODI was described as challenging during the first 10 overs before becoming more favourable for batting later in the innings.

Ashwin’s praise for the Puducherry surfaces highlights the contrasting demands placed on batters by pitches where scoring freely is more difficult and teams must rely on tactical judgment and game awareness.