Even contest expected between bat and ball

A lot has been debated on the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in recent times.

Once a batting paradise, the Bengaluru wicket surprised everyone in the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League. A series of low scores was the theme of the season here after the India-Australia Test match in March had failed to produce any big totals either.

As the City gears up to host the fourth ODI on Wednesday, the focus is back on the centre piece. Preparations are on to provide the best surface possible and assistant curator Prashanth Rao believes it will be a decent batting track.

“We are expecting the surface to assist both batsmen and bowlers. It will be a sporting wicket. We will see an even contest and definitely not an one-sided affair,” Prashanth told DH on Tuesday.

In the T20 tie against England earlier this year here, the Indian batsmen dominated to set a daunting total of 203. However, subsequent matches have not seen batsmen enjoy the same amount of success. The decision to shave off the amount of clay on two centre wickets has tilted the balance in favour of the bowlers. While the intention may have been to turn a traditionally batting pitch into a “lively” surface, a combination of reasons have failed to produce the desired result.

Thickness reduced

The reduction in the thickness of the surface has hastened up the drying process. This was especially so during the IPL which is held during the peak of Indian summer. As a result, the pitch has cracked up faster and the bounce has become unpredictable.

Rao hoped the pitch would have settled by now and shouldn’t be a difficult one to bat on.   

“Any pitch which has undergone a slight change requires some rest to showcase its true nature. It will need some time. Despite ICC’s rating being below average (for the Test match against Australia), it wasn’t an under-prepared wicket at all. While it helped the spinners, the pacers got good bounce and at two batsmen from both sides struck half-centuries. The pitch (for the ODI) will be conducive for batting and we are working hard to offer a track best suitable for 50-over cricket,” he said.

The spinners too will have a key role to play, more so the wrist spinners who can buy some extra turn from a track that is expected to be a slow turner.