Former Test captains Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar criticised the surface for the fifth Test match of the Australia-India series, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Australia won the fifth Test of the five-match series, at Sydney, by six wickets to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time since 2014-15 and qualify for the World Test Championship 2023-25 final against South Africa.
The fifth Test got over in the eighth session, not too long after lunch on day three. A wicket fell every 33.5 balls (below six overs). The Test match has the second-lowest bowling strike rate in a Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test (after the 30.3 at Mumbai in 2004-05) since India and Australia began to play for the trophy, in 1996-97.
Tests with lowest bowling strike rates in Border-Gavaskar Trophy
| Venue | Season | Strike rate | Winner |
| Mumbai | 2004-05 | 30.3 | India |
| Sydney | 2024-25 | 33.5 | Australia |
| Adelaide | 2024-25 | 34.3 | Australia |
| Indore | 2022-23 | 37.8 | Australia |
| Pune | 2016-17 | 38.3 | Australia |
It was also the second-lowest strike rate in a Test in Australia since 1950, after the Brisbane Test against South Africa in 2022-23, where a wicket fell every 25.4 balls.
Tests with best bowling strike rates in Australia
| Venue | Season | Touring side | Strike rate | Winner |
| Melbourne | 1931-32 | South Africa | 22.6 | Australia |
| Brisbane | 2022-23 | South Africa | 25.4 | Australia |
| Melbourne | 1903-04 | England | 27.7 | Australia |
| Sydney | 1887-88 | England | 28.9 | England |
| Brisbane | 1950-51 | England | 31.3 | Australia |
| Sydney | 1894-95 | England | 32.5 | Australia |
| Sydney | 2024-25 | India | 33.5 | Australia |
“If 15 wickets fell in India, all hell would have broken loose. We had Glenn McGrath saying he’d never seen so much grass. Did you hear any former India cricketer moan about the pitch?” asked Gavaskar on ABC Sport after the second day, referring to the 15 wickets that fell over the course of the day.
“When we go out and play cricket we will toughen it out. And if we are beaten, we are beaten. Overseas, it’s very difficult to beat home teams. I did say that when we saw the pitch yesterday, the cows could have gone and grazed on it. This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth and fifth day. Unless there is rain I don't see us being here on day four.”
“As a batsman, it’s a bit of a lottery,” agreed Border while speaking to Fox Sports. “I’m not a big fan of those sort of tracks. I haven’t seen a pitch like this (in Sydney), where it’s probably just too bowler-friendly.
“It feels like you’re never in (on this pitch). You can just get a jaffa… hits the edge and you’re out, and you haven’t done anything too much wrong, played the line.
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