The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared the pitch used for the third Test encounter between India and Australia in Indore as "poor" under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process and as a result, the Holkar Stadium has received three demerit points. The pitch received a lot of criticism from experts due to the uneven pace and bounce on offer with 30 wickets falling in just two days. The pitch conditions specifically favoured the spins from both sides with 26 out of the 31 wickets that fell during the match going to spin bowlers. The decision was taken following a conversation between match referee Chris Broad and the two captains - India's Rohit Sharma and Australia's Steve Smith.