Wankhade pitch has a "thick layering of grass", unlikely to have much turn for 2nd India vs New Zealand Test: Reports
In what might spell trouble for Virat Kohli's comeback match, the Wankhade Stadium pitch for the second India-New Zealand Test is likely to sport a green tinge without much support for the spinners. The two-Test series hangs at 0-0 after the Kiwis managed a thrilling draw in the first match in Kanpur.
According to The Times of India's sources, the 22 yards in Mumbai currently has a "thick layer of grass" which won't be shaved off completely. The lack of cricket here in the past two years has played a part in this. The source said:
"The pitch has a thick layering of grass. The ball won't turn much. The grass seems to have grown tall as no cricket has been played on the main three pitches at the Wankhede Stadium since the ODI between India and Australia in Jan 2020. Some of that grass will be cut away, but at this stage, when the Test match is just days away, you can't cut too much grass. As a result, they have stopped watering the pitch since Sunday."
Rain is predicted for Wednesday, which means not only grass, but there will also be some moisture on the surface, at least on the first morning. The curators' job of providing a pitch suitable to India's needs will also get tougher. The source added:
"It will introduce moisture on the grass and the wicket. The wicket will help the fast bowlers initially, with the early morning moisture in play, but it will then become a good batting track. It will have good bounce and carry."
In the Kanpur Test, only two Kiwi wickets were picked by India's pacers, rest 17 were accounted for by the spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, and Ravindra Jadeja.
But the New Zealand spinners only managed three wickets, with speedsters Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson together dismissing 14 Indian batters.
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A green top in Mumbai will test India's overdependency on spinners in home conditions. With both Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami resting, the likes of Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma will have to step up and get the job done.
New Zealand, on the other hand, will likely revel in the conditions. Their formidable pace attack, which is adept at utilizing swing and bounce even on unfriendly tracks, is expected to fare even better here. The visitors will even fancy a rare series win in India.
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Pacy conditions will force India to rethink their team combination. Axar Patel, who picked up a brilliant fifer in Kanpur, might have to make way for pacer Mohammed Siraj.
This might also make the dropping of out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane tougher as India will need all their batting experience against Southee and co in the series decider.