Allan Border

Melbourne: India can hope for a bright start to their tour of Australia with the MCG expected to offer a slow track for their first Test, which would be a worrying factor for the hosts.

“Lucky India is poised to unwrap the ultimate Christmas gift surprise — a Boxing Day Test pitch with all the trappings of a super-flat, subcontinent track,” the Australian media reported.

Batsmen were seen struggling on the pitch during the Pura Cup clash between Victoria and New South Wales this week.

While Brad Hodge claimed that the sluggish pitch would “promote boring cricket”, former Test stars Allan Border and Darren Lehmann said it would be a worrying factor for the hosts.

“What we need is to prepare wickets that suit our cricket rather than the Indians,” said Border.

“If it is slow and low, the Indians really come into the contest. They like that sort of surface. That is the worrying thing for me. You should try to get a bit more bounce — it doesn’t have to be sideways movement — then it will suit our cricket,” the former captain added.

Lehmann said it was justified to provide bouncy tracks to India on their tour Down Under.

“It would be nice to have a fast track because when we go to India the tracks turn square from Day I,” said Lehmann.