So, the entourage of cameramen, commentators, players and officials moves to Calcutta -- oops, Kolkata. Personally, I have fond memories of this huge and vibrant city.
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To begin with, I was brought up at the Calcutta Cricket Club and then at the Tollygunge Club where I learnt to swim! The ground holds good memories too - I was the 12th man for the Calcutta Test in 1976 where we beat India on Tony Greig's tour and I was coach of South Africa in 1996 when we levelled the series here after Lance Klusener's great spell in the second innings.
This match is going to be very interesting because the pitch will start slightly damp and grassy and will just do a little off the seam. So far the SG balls have not swung much and as it is more humid here I wonder if that will change.
I think it will aid the spinners later on purely because the heat of the day will dry the pitch out and it will crack and crumble a little. Kolkata has usually been a result pitch so I am assuming that the side that plays best will win. Only, let's hope the weather does not interfere.