Enhancing Perth's Surface Tension: India vs Australia

Kolkata: To understand why Perth was chosen as India's first port of call for this tour of Australia, one must revisit the highlights of Pakistan's disastrous fourth innings collapse last year, where they were bundled out for a paltry 89 runs. The pitch in Perth not only offered lively pace but also disconcerting bounce, as evidenced by three Pakistan batters being caught behind, one at gully, and two falling leg-before. This all happened on Day 4, a time when even the most hostile pitches tend to calm down.

You expect this kind of mayhem at Perth though. Except for the phase between 2008 and 2017 when South Africa and India had won four out of 10 Tests on a slowing down pitch, WACA was hands down the top honeymoon destination for fast bowlers. Rock hard, shiny white pitches with long snake cracks and a thin even covering of grass was a sight that could make even the best batters doubt themselves. Now factor in the Australia fast bowlers, who as a species are hardwired to keep pegging away at unplayable lengths.

Almost nothing has changed over the years. From Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson to Glenn McGrath and now Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia at home continue to be a scary proposition for visiting batters. International cricket has shifted to a swankier stadium on the other side of the Swan River since 2018 but the pitch continues to live up to Perth standards. Some feel it has even surpassed WACA benchmarks of the 1980s. Which was why last year’s win — fourth in as many Tests at the new venue — raised the question if Perth, and not the Gabba at Brisbane, should be the first port of call for tourists.

The question seemed imminent considering Gabba had only once hosted the opening Test of an Australian summer since India stunned them in the fourth Test of the 2020-21 series. Add to that the defeat to West Indies earlier this year and the theory that Gabba may have lost some of its charm doesn’t seem unfounded. If the primary aim is to crush the opponents’ spirits in the first Test on a fast and fiendishly unpredictable pitch, Perth clearly had the upper hand when Cricket Australia was scheduling this summer’s Tests.

And for good reason too. First, consider the margins of wins at Perth so far: 146 runs against India (2018), 296 runs against New Zealand (2019), 164 runs against West Indies (2022) and 360 runs against Pakistan (2023). Now, some numbers. The average bounce (height at which the deliveries crossed the stump line) of a good length delivery at Perth Stadium has been 0.85m, behind WACA’s 0.86 and Brisbane’s 0.87. Factor in the average seam movement of 0.70° (more than WACA and Gabba) though and the average swing of 0.83° — the most among all Australian venues—and it instantly makes more sense to make India start at Perth.

Not many pitches around the world are still so overwhelmingly in favour of fast bowlers. Unpredictable bounce makes batting feel like a game of roulette at Johannesburg’s Wanderers, while the ball swings pretty much all day at Cape Town’s Newlands. But Perth offers a different tinge of challenge due to a combination of factors. The high clay content allows the pitch to be baked to almost concrete like consistency, while an even layer of grass is known to add a few yards to the pace. To counter this under the harsh West Australian sun that makes the pitch drier — hence firmer, quicker and bouncier—as the Test progresses takes the challenge to an altogether different level.

Unseasonal rain has played spoilsport this time but the head curator at Perth is still trying to firm up the top layer as much as possible. “At the moment, we’re leaning towards rolling it a bit more to get that firmness, and that happy medium between bat and ball,” Isaac McDonald has been quoted as saying. “There’ll be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. But in terms of big-snake WACA cracks, unfortunately, I don’t think the weather’s going to get us there.”

Still, enough red flags for a visiting team. Bounce, pace, a little bit of nip, some swing and lots of edges — expect the script at Perth to stay true to its surface.