'Mohali pitch will assist seamers'
The pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali will assist the seam bowlers during the second Test match between India and England starting on Friday, says chief curator Daljeet Singh.
The pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) Stadium in Mohali will assist the seam bowlers during the second Test match between India and England starting on Friday, says chief curator Daljeet Singh.
"In the early hours of the day, the pitch will be helpful for the seam bowlers as ball will swing well. Conditions here are entirely different from Chennai as temperature is low and there are winds blowing in the morning that will provide an ideal condition for swing bowlers," said Singh told reporters in Mohali on Wednesday.
"My only focus is to prepare a result-oriented pitch. Earlier, the ball used to spin well at PCA but in the last few matches, we have seen spinners facing problem. This time I am expecting the ball to spin well but at the end of the day, but it all depends on the individual capability of any spinner," stated Singh.
Although two wickets have been prepared for the match Singh maintained that the match would be played on the same strip that was used during India-Australia Test match in October.
"The major problem that we are facing is of drying the pitch because of excessive moisture in the morning air. On the surface, it appears dry and hard but from beneath, it still holds dampness but here our boys are working hard to dry it," said Singh.
He added: "During winters, especially during these months, grass is very dormant and does not come out easily. Therefore, we are making use of ultra-violet fabric that we have imported from Canada, which helps in quick germination of grass,"
Talking about the short time that the PCA had to prepare the pitch, Singh said: "I have no complaint that we got less time for pitch preparation. Look at the curators in Chennai, they got only seven days and did a wonderful job. However, we at PCA got eight days more than those people."