India vs England 2016: Team management requests for 'bald' pitch ahead of 4th Test against England at Mumbai

Virat Kohli along with the head coach Anil Kumble

The Indian pitches over the past few years have come under a lot of criticism and scrutiny for the “rank turners” which have been produced in order to achieve victory. However, the Virat Kohli-led Indian side have proved their critics wrong by producing results on those pitches against England which were not rank turners.

The pitch in Rajkot was a batting friendly pitch, while the pitch in Vishakhapatnam was slow with some uneven bounce, and the Mohali pitch was dry where the ball began to spin only towards the end of day 3.

As India get ready to take on England in the 4^th Test at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai, the team management has reportedly requested the curators to prepare a ‘bald’ pitch. A bald pitch is one which does not have any grass on it, and would most likely be a batsman-friendly pitch.

The Wankhede stadium is known for producing pitches which are batsmen’s paradise. Just a couple of months ago, around 1300 runs were scored in the Ranji Trophy match between Delhi and Maharashtra.

India’s head coach Anil Kumble, along with Virat Kohli, sought to end the criticism the team received that they were dependent on rank turners to produce results.

“Even when we played in Kolkata (against New Zealand), we showed we are not a side that wants square turners. We have enough skill to play good cricket and win against any team and that’s the kind of belief we have created in the change room.

“And that can only happen when you are not worried about what’s happening outside that door. You focus on your skills and strengths and move along,” Kumble said at the post-match news conference.

Having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 5 match series, India will be looking to inflict further damage on the Englishmen at Mumbai. However, the Alastair Cook led outfit will be looking to bounce back and achieve their first win of the tour.

With reports of Murali Vijay suffering from back spasms, Gautam Gambhir, who was dropped after his poor show in the first test might be recalled once again, while Ishant Sharma, who is getting married on 9^th December is set to sit out once again.