The fascinating part on the eve of a Test match is the prediction about the composition of the team, the appearance and likely behaviour of the pitch, the changing climatic conditions during the course of five days and the surprises in store.
The opening Test of the three-match was a case in point that offered plenty to mull over as it throbbed with life and excitement once the visitors’ new ball operator Suranga Lakmal exploited the conditions at the Eden Gardens and manipulated the seam expertly to rock the Indian boat on a fresh pitch.
Probably for the first time in the history of a home Test series, the Eden Gardens surface has become the bellwether to forecast the way the pitch at the Jamtha facility here would be prepared for the second Test and perhaps at the Kotla.
Only two years ago, the pitch here was dubbed ‘poor’ by an ICC committee after the Indian spinners made life miserable for the South African batsmen.
India’s captain Virat Kohli admitted on Thursday that the mandate from the team management to the venues hosting the Tests against Sri Lanka was to prepare surfaces that would help it to tune up for the three-Test series against South Africa to be played at Cape Town, Centurion and The Wanderers.
Touch and tell: Cheteshwar Pujara gets a feel of the pitch, as Rohit Sharma watches, on the eve of the second Test.
The Indian team’s choice to treat the home series against Sri Lanka as a genuine preparation for the tough conditions in South Africa, and mentally prepare itself, is a well thought out plan. Kagiso Rabada and company could turn out to be far more strong pack in home conditions, but the Indian team believes that it would still help seeing the likes of Lakmal, Shanaka and Gamage run in and bowl at it.
By noon on Thursday, men in uniform were diligently covering the centre pitch with a sort of dhurri cloth to protect the surface from the harsh sunlight.
Prepared by Taposh Chatterjee and the local curator, Pravin Hingnikar, the pitch according to Kohli will remain hard with some grass on it for the fast bowlers to bend their back and extract bounce out of it for two days and for the spinners to come into play on the last three.
Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal said “there is grass, but not to the same amount as was seen in Kolkata’’ and that it would be a good Test match pitch.
It should be straightforward choice of M. Vijay coming in for Shikhar Dhawan, but Kohli has options in Ishant Sharma for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Ishant has had a dismal record this year, taking just six wickets from four Tests at 53.00.
The other option is giving the first big break to Vijay Shankar and Kohli went to the extent of lavishing praise on the Tamil Nadu all-rounder.
The Indian team had its second training session with fast bowler Umesh Yadav bowling a few deliveries with an elbow taping and Mohammed Shami not really going all out.
With everyone, who has seen the pitch, talking about the presence of some grass cover on the pitch, it would be interesting to see the dividends the fast bowlers and their ilk can reap.
The teams (from) :
India : Virat Kohli (capt.), M. Vijay K.L. Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, R. Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav and Ishant Sharma.
Sri Lanka : Dinesh Chandimal (capt.), Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal, Lakshan Sandakan, Dilruwan Perera, Dashun Shanaka, Lahiru Gamage, Dhananjaya de Silva, Vishwa Fernando and Roshen Silva .
