JOIN US Steve Smith felt bounce will be at premium on the Ranchi pitch which will be playing host to a Test match for the first time.
The Australian skipper also expected the ball to shoot, a regular occurring that one witnessed in the second Test at the Chinnaswamy stadium. The pitch in Bengaluru was rated “below average” by ICC match referee Chris Broad because of its lack of bounce.
“A little bit drier than it was yesterday (Tuesday),” said Smith after having a look at the wicket on Wednesday afternoon. “The groundsman was pretty keen to get the covers back so it did not see much sun. Had a quick look. I think it will play reasonably well on the first day. Don’t think there will be a great deal of bounce. I think it will shoot low and from there, I think, it will break up as the game wears on. It’s 22 yards, both teams have to play on it. Hopefully we can do a little bit better,” he offered.
‘Pretty tough’
The right-hander termed the pitches for the first two Tests “pretty tough.”
“When we came over to India, whether winning or losing, we knew we are going to potentially get some difficult wickets to play on,” he noted. “The first two Test matches were pretty tough wickets. We adopted some good plans and played some very good cricket. This wicket is no different. So, it’s about adapting what we do in the middle and be in the contest for a long time. Playing the game is important, that’s what we are here to do -- just playing the game.
“You have to adapt to what the wicket is doing. You need to know what you are likely to expect and play according to what the wicket entails. That is part of what we talk about, playing anywhere in the world and adapting and making sure we have the game plan in place to be successful,” he offered.
Smith stressed the importance of being accurate on pitches that offer less bounce.
“You have to be hitting the stumps majority of the time,” he recommended. “That’s pretty basic. You have to keep things as simple as you can, try and build pressure and perhaps take wickets in different ways.
“We have got certain plans in place for these kinds of wickets where there is not much bounce. Guys just have to adapt and play according to what the wicket entails and that is something we are big on in this Australian team.”