We won't leave much grass on pitch for 2nd Test: Curator
15 Nov 2016 10:32 PM GMT
With spotlight firmly on the pitch, BCCI curator Kasturi Sriram said that unlike Rajkot wicket, the 22-yard strip to be provided for the second Test against England "won't have much grass" with turn on offer from second day onwards.
With Indian spinners especially Ravichandran Ashwin being rendered ineffective primarily due to lack of assistance from the pitch, it is only natural that the hosts would expect a strip that's to their advantage.
"There will not be much grass and we should expect the ball to turn from lunch on Day 2," Sriram said on Monday adding that there has not been any instruction from the team thinktank.
"Yesterday (Sunday), it was cold and today (Monday) it's drastically hot and humid and wicket appears dry now. We will see how it is on the eve of the match."Â
Like Rajkot, it will be the first time that a Test match will be played at this venue. On October 29, New Zealand were shot out for 79 on a slow turner to hand India the five-match ODI series 3-2.
ACA secretary Gokaraju Gangaraju was more defensive in his approach.
"We have prepared a neutral wicket and it should assist both the teams equally. We hope to see a result," ACA secretary and BCCI vice president G Gangaraju said.
The Vizag pitch made headlines for the wrong reasons when Rajasthan skittled Assam for 69 in their second innings in a Ranji Trophy match ending inside three days with their coach Sunil Joshi, a former India left-arm spinner, crying foul.
But Gangaraju stressed that one should not draw parallel with the Ranji Trophy wicket.
"The Assam wicket was a different one and some miscommunication had led to that."Â
Referring to the New Zealand ODI, he said:"The wicket had a bit of moisture during the India-New Zealand match. But it was their inept batting that led to the collapse."Â
With spin-friendly conditions on offer, toss will play a key role as England have made their intention clear having won the spin battle in Rajkot.
Their spin trio of Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Zafar Ansari accounted for a share of 13 wickets compared to nine taken by the Indian spinners.Â
Ind-NZ ODI series highest-rated in last three years
The India-New Zealand One-Day International (ODI) series was the highest-rated bilateral ODI cricket series in the last three years, principal broadcasters Star Sports said on Monday.
The ODI series against the Kiwis delivered 7,397 average impressions on the network, surpassing last year's India-South Africa series which secured 6,153 average impressions. To complement its scale, the broadcast was bolstered by new look graphics and the best of experts on the commentary panel, cutting across demographic boundaries and capturing the imagination of a diverse fan base.
"India-NZ ODI series setting a new record benchmark as the highest-rated bilateral ODI series in the last three years affirms that nothing is adored like quality cricket in this country," Star Sports CEO Nitin Kukreja said.Â
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