Will it be a rank-turner or a batting paradise? After India’s 28-run loss in Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam pitch for IND vs ENG 2nd Test is under the scanner. Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium has only hosted two Tests — in 2016 against England and 2019 against South Africa. Both offered batting paradise. There was a blip in 2023 when Mitchell Starc bagged a fifer to demolish India in an ODI. But the pitch reverted to being friendly to batters in November with over 400 runs being scored in the T20I.
On a slow pitch, Indian batters have struggled — be it Hyderabad or Ahmedabad. However, calling for a batting-friendly surface could backfire as England batters like to play big shots in their new Bazball approach. That leaves with only one option: raging turner.
Will Vizag pitch be raging turner?
The last time the England Cricket Team visited India, the Joe Root-led team could not even last two full days. In Ahmedabad, they were bundled in one and a half days. But this England team is different.
They are confident of taking on Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel with sweeps, reverse sweeps, scoops or reverse scoops. And they will fight.
But can Indian batters fight on turners too? On a rank-turner Ahmedabad pitch in 2021, India could only score 145 with Rohit Sharma scoring 66 of them.
Similarly, Rohit Sharma hit a century on Nagpur turner in the IND vs AUS series but India needed Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja to score a half-century each.
Hence, India have a problem. The current bunch of players are not as good batters of spin as in the era of Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, and Rahul Dravid or Virender Sehwag. Even Joe Root can bag a fifer against the Indian batting attack.
India’s record on turning tracks:
- Turn of 3.7 degrees: 41 wins
- Turn 4.2 degrees+: 5 losses
- IND vs ENG 1st Test: 4.2 degrees turn
IND vs ENG 2nd Test: Pitch in focus
Then, what sort of pitch will India want for IND vs ENG 2nd Test? It’s a big question. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma will travel to Visakhapatnam on Tuesday. And with the winter season on, expect a dry pitch with some grass on it. But for sure, India won’t want to risk playing on a seam-friendly pitch with Ollie Robinson and James Anderson waiting to make a comeback.
But considering India’s recent records on seam-friendly pitches, that should be the ideal choice for India to go with. However, it’s unlikely. The little bit of grass left on the pitch will be rolled on heavily with cracks likely to appear.
However, India will also have to consider that there Ravindra Jadeja will likely miss out due to a hamstring strain. Kuldeep Yadav would be the one to replace him in that case.
Now, the ball is in Rahul Dravid’s court. Will he seek a rank-turner or a sporting wicket?
