Wet pitches deny India proper 'nets'

Damp practice pitches at the ANZ Stadium, venue of India’s T20 match against Australia, thwarted Indian team’s ambition of having a proper net session on Monday.

Even with the harsh Australian sun failing to dry the surface properly, MS Dhoni’s band was forced to have a few rounds of throwdowns and fielding practice. “It’s been very wet in Sydney. It rained last week here. Since the practice pitches are in the far corner of the stadium where there is no proper sunlight because of the extended roof of the stadium, they are damp,” said Les Burdett, curator of the venue.

Though the curator assured of a better pitch condition on Tuesday, Indians decided to shift their training to the Sydney Cricket Ground. “We’ll be training at the SCG from 10 am tomorrow,” said GS Walia, Indian team’s spokesperson.

Australians, who were originally scheduled to train at the ANZ stadium on the morrow, too shifted their practice to the SCG in view of the wet pitches. However, Bourdett assured that the ground and pitch would be in fine condition on the match day.

Suresh Raina made light of the situation. “We didn’t have proper nets, but we had a good fielding session in the morning.”