HYDERABAD: With the Indian team management trying to use the Tests against the West Indies as a platform to check what works on the upcoming tour of Australia, there is a possibility that some kind of experiment will be done with the pitch for the second and final Test starting here on October 12.
It is not confirmed yet, but if sources at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium are to be believed, the groundsmen are busy preparing a hard pitch which will offer more than normal bounce and carry, something that is usually associated with pitches Down Under. “We started working on the wicket about two weeks ago. In all likelihood, it will be a pitch that will have good bounce and carry,” sources monitoring preparations told Express.
However, the exact nature of the surface will only be finalised after the Indian team management gets in touch with the groundsmen. Both teams are expected to be at the ground on Wednesday. “The final look of the wicket will be decided when the management informs us what type they want,” sources added. “At the moment, there is a considerable amount of grass on the wicket.”
If the final product is conducive for pacers, it might pave the way for local lad Mohammed Siraj’s debut, considering the right-arm fast bowler consistently bowls in the mid 140s. Part of the squad, the Hyderabad bowler did not play in the first Test in Rajkot, where India played with two pacers and three spinners, and won by an innings and 272 runs.
The last time India played a Test in Hyderabad, they made 687/6 declared and thrashed Bangladesh by 208 runs. Spinners had taken 12 of the 20 Bangladesh wickets. Going by early indications, the pacers might come into the picture more often this time.
vishal@newindianexpress.com