Boon, who did not wish to comment when contacted, is considered a hard task-master but his ratings have privately surprised some venue operators.

SCG curator Adam Lewis told The Age and Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday that he had not been surprised by the verdict, citing the disruption that Sydney’s big wet through December in the lead-up to the Test, then having more than three sessions lost over the opening two days, had caused.

“We had an average of three hours of sunlight leading into the Test. The conditions we were dealt with were very, very difficult,” he said.

Lewis said the poor weather meant the pitch was a “day-and-a-half behind” in natural deterioration.

Having overseen his fourth Test, Lewis said he had no issues with the Bulli soil used, made up of clay and basalt of volcanic origin, but Boon’s concern appeared to be that it did not crumble as much as hoped. It did not deliver the uneven footmarks that can make the ball spit on a final day and the bounce was still high – something that spinner Nathan Lyon and Lewis were left to rue.

“When he [Lyon] went for those DRS [lbw appeals], the bounce was still bouncing over the wicket, which goes to show it was holding together,” Lewis said.

Lewis continues to consult veteran pitch whisperer Les Burdett and former long-time SCG curator Tom Parker, while past playing greats have also been asked for feedback.

While Boon marked down, 31 wickets fell during the Test, which also produced a Steve Smith century, a 91 from Marnus Labuschagne and an enthralling final-day 97 from Rishabh Pant, which almost dragged the tourists to victory. Lewis was given a “very good” rating for all four white-ball matches against India at the venue.

MCG curator Matt Page took a surprise hit despite India claiming a famous eight-wicket win inside four days. Boon branded the drop-in pitch as “good” – a dip on last year’s “very good” against New Zealand. However, Page was widely praised by commentators for this summer’s deck, which had an uplift in pace and carry despite ground staff not having any first-class cricket at the venue leading into the Test because of Melbourne’s earlier lockdown.

Melbourne Cricket Club chief executive Stuart Fox was full of praise for what ground staff had delivered.

“We were thrilled with the performance of the Boxing Day Test pitch as it had something in it for both bat and ball, provided an even contest between the two teams, and produced a result,” he said.

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“We’re so proud of the entire team led by Michael Salvatore and Matt Page for delivering another outstanding Boxing Day Test pitch and outfield, probably the best in recent memory, that was applauded by fans, players, Cricket Australia and cricketing greats alike.“

The drop-in pitch did show signs of wear and tear and remained a significant improvement on the heavily criticised decks used in the Ashes draw of 2017-18 and the 2018-19 Test against India.

In another blow to curators, the Adelaide Oval pitch was rated as “good”, down from “very good” against Pakistan last summer. Boon’s rating is particularly intriguing, for the pink-ball contest lasted only two-and-a-half days when the tourists, guilty of poor shot selection, were dismissed for a second-innings 36 – the lowest tally in their Test history.

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Brisbane’s Gabba deck, typically “very good”, slipped to “good” despite the tourists completing a dramatic run chase and securing a 2-1 series victory. Gabba officials said it was an “understandable” rating in a COVID-19 impacted summer when the Test was held unusually in January.

Commentators remarked on the opening day that the pitch looked more like a slightly wearing day-two deck, and this year it came complete with a crack that ensured some inconsistent bounce.