'The bounce (on the pitch) was consistent and there wasn't any up and down movement. We will need as many as we can get in the first innings'
Australia captain Steve Smith observed that the JSCA Stadium track in Ranchi did not offer any spin like the first two Test matches in Pune and Bengaluru where ICC rated the strips as "poor" and "below average" respectively.
Asked about the Ranchi pitch, centurion Smith said: "This ball didn't spin here. In the first two Tests, the ball spun. The bounce was consistent and there wasn't any up and down movement. We will need as many as we can get in the first innings."
He was all praise for Glenn Maxwell, who is batting on 82 having scored his maiden Test fifty.
"Obviously for 4 for 300, we had to form a couple of partnerships. Maxi played beautifully. Stuck to his plans and struck the bad balls. It is a good pitch so we will need all the runs we can get. But tomorrow is going to be a crucial day for us," he said.
In the eye of storm post 'DRS Brain Fade', Smith said that he has moved on.
"You cannot control the past. I came out and said I made a mistake and moved on from there."