PUNE: Two days ahead of the second Freedom Trophy Test, Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium was witness to unusual sights.The LEDs that decorated the boundary lines were nowhere to be seen. So were the ropes, or any of the advertisements at the outfield. Sightscreens were only being set up at around 2pm. At Indian grounds, these aren’t the scenes that you generally find. But the groundsmen at Gahunje — at the outskirts of Pune — can be excused for keeping it late.
Weather hasn’t been kind to them. It has been raining so heavily in these parts that there are chances of big downpours on all five days of the second Test, one in which South Africa will face an uphill task of keeping this series alive.
That aside, the focus now lies firmly on the pitch. To begin with, the 22 yards — made of black soil — had a green tinge to it on Tuesday morning. But as the strip was getting baked by the scorching sun, groundsmen were seen shaving the live grass and scrubbing the strip. But a couple of hours later, it stared to pour again, and the covers came back on.
Both teams are keeping their fingers crossed as to how this pitch will behave. While Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) secretary Riyaz Bagwan said the wicket is game-ready (without explaining how it will behave), he ascertained that it had been tested, and that there wasn’t much dampness. But the Indian camp is still under suspense. The only Test the stadium hosted ended in three days, not to mention a “poor” rating from ICC. While weather will ensure this match at least goes the distance, the likelihood of a below-par pitch could result in points being deducted from India’s World Test Championship kitty.
On Tuesday, during an optional practice session that saw only Rishabh Pant, Wriddhiman Saha, Kuldeep Yadav, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari and Shubman Gill take part, head coach Ravi Shastri
and bowling coach Bharathi Arun were seen inspecting the pitch twice.
All said and done, India shouldn’t really be concerned. Barring that India-South Africa in Nagpur in 2015 and the one against Australia here two years later, India have played their home Tests on regular flat decks that showed wear and tear later on.
While India ideally don’t like having a pitch that will play into the hands of opposition, they’ll still have their arsenal ready in case they feel there will be more for seamers than spinners. “We don’t ask for the kind of wickets that we get,” said Arun. “To be the No 1 team, you have to accept any conditions that come your way as home conditions. When we go abroad, we hardly look at the wickets. We tend to assess it at the last moment. But we say that we are going to look at it as home conditions because the wicket is same for both teams. We are going to work on our bowling rather than looking at the wicket.”
What will also give India confidence is the development of their fast-bowling resources at home. They no longer take the field in local conditions depending only on spinners. As Visakhapatnam showed, they back their pacers to deliver in these conditions, since their battery can make both the new and old balls talk.
Since the 2016 home season, India have emerged as one of the best exponents of reverse-swing. Mohammed Shami can be lethal if the ball reverses, and so is Ishant Sharma. While hard outfields have helped their cause, Arun pointed out the conditions they operate in domestic matches has also played a significant role.
“On Indian wickets, when the ball spins, it also becomes conducive for reverse swing. Our bowlers are skilful at reverse swing because in domestic cricket, the wickets are flat and sometimes you get outfields that’s not great. For a bowler to be successful, one needs to learn how to reverse the ball. Our domestic cricket contributes a lot.”