Mohali pitch won't be a turner like Chennai or Hyderabad: PCA officials

[rkt.india]

Death of the pacer-friendly pitch? Dhoni's pitch-on-demand diktat turns Mohali too

With the BCCI complying with Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's demand for rank turners, the Australian outfit has been all at sea in the first two Test matches of the series - in Chennai and Hyderabad. But going into the third Test in Mohali, a venue known to have had the fastest wickets in the country in the past, the Australians were hoping that they would finally get a breather and some help from the wicket. But all the hope has been dashed by BCCI's head of Grounds and Pitch committee Daljit Singh, who is also the curator at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali. In charge of preparing the wicket for the Test match, while Daljit hasn't gone ahead and prepared a rank turner, the wicket will still assist the spinners and any help that the pacers get will be restricted only to the morning session of each day. "It is March and summer has set in. So you can very well understand how the wicket will play. There is no mystery to it," Daljit told Mail Today, clearly hinting that the pacer-friendly wickets of Mohali is a thing of the past, especially with Dhoni's demand for rank turners. Even Australia coach Mickey Arthur echoed Daljit's sentiments saying the wicket looked pretty dry. "I had come to Mohali really excited as the last time when I was here - as the coach of the South Africa team to play Pakistan in the Champions Trophy - the ball was moving all over the place and the fast bowlers utilised the conditions to their advantage. "But no sooner did I see the wicket that I realised that this might not turn as much as the wickets in the first two Tests did, but it won't assist pacers much," he said. But Arthur believes that he and his team are okay with the conditions on offer. "I think it is fair for the home team to have the advantage. I would have been really disappointed to come to India and not have my players face Indian spinners on spinning tracks. At the end of the day this is a lesson in itself and helps players evolve. "Looking at world cricket at the moment, I feel it has come to a situation where the number one team is that which wins consistently away from home and that's because many of the top teams have been doing well at home. But what separates them from the real champions is that they aren't winning abroad," he said. While the coach seems okay with the wickets being dished out in India, it would be interesting to see what the players feel deep within. Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/india-vs-australia--indian-skipper-spinners-bcci-test-matches-chennai-hyderabad-mohali/1/257477.html

[saneindian]

Who writes such reports? Mohali has never been a pace heaven except for first couple of years..it used to have good bounce but even that has been largely absent for the last few years. The ODI match that Arthur is talking of was played in 2006 and pitches across India were bowling friendly in that tournament. Plus we had the extra incentive of watching our padosis being rolled over by Saffa pacers.

[I6MTW]

so basically similar to the Hyderabad pitch?

[rkt.india]

Who writes such reports? Mohali has never been a pace heaven except for first couple of years..it used to have good bounce but even that has been largely absent for the last few years. The ODI match that Arthur is talking of was played in 2006 and pitches across India were bowling friendly in that tournament. Plus we had the extra incentive of watching our padosis being rolled over by Saffa pacers.

It is all about intention. Same Hyderabad pitch was seaming and bouncing in IPL 2011, same with Wankhede last year.

[Crookbond]

Who writes such reports? Mohali has never been a pace heaven except for first couple of years..it used to have good bounce but even that has been largely absent for the last few years. The ODI match that Arthur is talking of was played in 2006 and pitches across India were bowling friendly in that tournament. Plus we had the extra incentive of watching our padosis being rolled over by Saffa pacers.

It was also played during a different season. On a side note, Imran Khan called that pitch as "cross border terror". :hysterical:

[G_B_]

cry me a river.... I did not see a spinning pitch in Aus when we toured.

[urbestfriend]

Fine if it assist spinners, but hope they don't prepare a pitch that assists neither spinners nor fast bowlers and we end up in tame draw.

[NareshK]

It is all about intention. Same Hyderabad pitch was seaming and bouncing in IPL 2011' date=' same with Wankhede last year.[/quote'] Having a pitch behave like that for T20 is much different than for a test for 5 days. If you prepare a hard track with grass for instance, it will become flat with no moisture because of the heat in summer and become a batsman's paradise with very little help for bowlers and result in a draw. This happened before in Hyderabad in a test against NZ. If its a dry wicket, it will break and help spinners and it could give a result which is important in a test match.

[rkt.india]

Having a pitch behave like that for T20 is much different than for a test for 5 days. If you prepare a hard track with grass for instance, it will become flat with no moisture because of the heat in summer and become a batsman's paradise with very little help for bowlers and result in a draw. This happened before in Hyderabad in a test against NZ. If its a dry wicket, it will break and help spinners and it could give a result which is important in a test match.

Rarely pitches help pacers for 5 days. It does not happen even in Australia. If you have live grass on it, good pacers can make something out of it anyway. It happens mostly in SA because mostly pitches there are on softer side which create uncertain bounce patches on the pitch.

[carnish]

Mohali was not expected to have a pacy pitch in March. It was only the curator giving a stupid interview to hype up the pitch and curiosity among the Aussies. I bet Dhoni would have already called Daljit Singh and given specific instructions about what he needs from the pitch.

[SLICKR392]

What worries me is that, according to Arhur the pitch won't turn like it did on the first 2 Tests. Literally a road then. I was expecting a pitch with a bit of green and turn like that of Kochi in the 2nd ODI vs England? :((

[Vilander]

It was also played during a different season. On a side note' date=' Imran Khan called that pitch as "cross border terror". :hysterical:[/quote'] :hysterical::hysterical:

[Dumbbells]

Its fine to prepare spinning tracks in india. I hope aus prepares extremely bouncy tracks for the world cup and show the world how dhoni has ruined indian cricket.

[Texan]

Well, what does Mickey Arthur expect?? A pitch that supports seam movement and bounce?? Play in Aus then!

[nevada]

No matter what kind of pitch is prepared, if India wins there will be whining about the pitch. So it is better we make full use of home advantage and unabashedly prepare pitches that suit us.

[Trichromatic]

cry me a river.... I did not see a spinning pitch in Aus when we toured.

Oh, as if India prepared one seaming track just because they got one spinning track at Oval.

[FischerTal]

Dhoni does this because he knows the average Indian fan has a memory lapse after a home tour. Look at how the TV, print media are calling Dhoni a champion now. "The man with the midas touch" pffft. Dhobi :finger:

[carnish]

Its fine to prepare spinning tracks in india. I hope aus prepares extremely bouncy tracks for the world cup and show the world how dhoni has ruined indian cricket.

Australia wont prepare WC pitches independently. Those will be monitored by the ICC and has to be made accordingly.

[PBN]

Btw, just because it may not be a raging turner on the first day, it does not automatically translate to the pitch being pacer friendly either.

[saneindian]

Likely to rain tomorrow..wonder what impact it will have on a dry pitch