E-Paper
MPCA preparing for third NZ Test despite uncertainty
MUMBAI: Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) warns of a possible cancellation of the third and final Test in Indore from October 8, hosts Madhya
MUMBAI: Even as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) warns of a possible cancellation of the third and final Test in Indore from October 8, hosts Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) have decided to go ahead with their preparations for the game to be played at the Holkar stadium.
“We have not received any communication from the BCCI,” Milind Kanmadikar, honorary secretary of the MPCA told HT.
“All we have heard are reports in the press but no official communication has reached us,” he added.
Slated to be the maiden Test to be played in Indore’s Holkar Stadium, the game has been shrouded in controversy after BCCI president Anurag Thakur criticised the Supreme Court-led Justice Lodha committee’s latest decision to stop disbursement of large sums of money to the various state units by the Indian cricket board after it decided on this course of action at the emergent working committee meeting in Mumbai on September 30.
Kanmadikar reassured that funds would not be a concern for the state body. “We have our own funds. We are going all out as was the plan. These reported developments have so far had no bearing on our preparations,” he said.
Preparations have been on in full swing at the stadium which was awarded Test status by the BCCI in its AGM in November 2015.
In the past, Holkar stadium has hosted four one-dayers and two matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
FOCUS ON PITCH
As India and New Zealand arrive, all eyes are set to be on the wicket.
The pitch used in the second Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata faced a lot of flak. The ploy to leave the top soil loose, which usually results in sharp turn from the Day One, misfired in Kolkata as the wicket did not receive much sunlight due to the overcast conditions in the lead up to the game.
The result was a wicket which was dual-paced and offered unpredictable bounce. It resulted in many bruises on both sides, including the thumb injury to opener Shikhar Dhawan that has ruled him out of the Indore game.
Similar conditions have been prevalent in Indore since the past week. Holkar stadium has traditionally helped batsmen. It has always offered even bounce, and combined with the small size of the ground, has always generated big runs.
India have already sealed the series and a whitewash would make for a perfect marker with a long home season to follow.
