A low and slow turner—that’s how the surface for the India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test has been described. But there is a twist in the tale. Apparently, similar to Chennai, there are two different pitches. The traditional one, like the one in Chepauk Stadium, offers assistance to spinners while the other aids the quicks.
Two pitches in Kanpur
The ball now is in the Indian management’s court. Whether captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir want a traditional spin-friendly surface that will bring hometown hero Kuldeep Yadav into the game at the expense of one pacer or continue to field three fast bowlers and make Axar Patel or Kuldeep for one more game.
Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) state association secretary Arvind Kumar Shrivastava has informed RevSportz that both surfaces, one that aids spin and the other that helps pace, have been prepared. However, it’s unsure what the Indian management wants to go for the surface at the moment.
Weather to ‘decide’ lineup
When the Chennai pitch turned out to aid pacers more than spinners in the first couple of days, the move was equated as preparation for the Australia tour. The pitches Down Under often aid pacers at the start and then continue to flatten out as the match progresses. We might see a pace-friendly surface for the India vs Bangladesh 2nd Test as well, but for a whole different reason.
You see, on the first three days (September 27-29) of the Kanpur Test, there are high chances of a washout. Throughout the match time (9:30 AM to 4:30 PM), there is at least a 50% chance of rain in Kanpur. Now, if it indeed rains and we don’t get to see much play, a spin-friendly surface won’t break, and spin might not come into the game as expected. The pitch, outfield and then the ball would get wet, which won’t help the spinners either in gripping the ball. Cloudy conditions won’t help them either.
However, it’ll be the exact opposite for the pacers. We’ll see some swing if clouds are present. Similar to Chennai, there might be some seam moments on the first day as well. We’ve already seen Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Deep and Mohammed Siraj outbowl the Bangladeshi pacers, and this would mean that Rohit Sharma wouldn’t need to change the Playing XI for the 2nd Test.
While this would hurt the Kanpur crowd, with their hometown hero Kuldeep Yadav not featuring. But it would help Team India win the series 2-0 if rain indeed interrupts play.
