Delhi weather would be one of the major factors in deciding the nature of pitch for the opening cricket Test between India and Pakistan.
NEW DELHI: Delhi weather would be one of the major factors in deciding the nature of pitch for the opening cricket Test between India and Pakistan beginning at the Ferozshah Kotla ground on Thursday.
BCCI Grounds and Pitches Committee Chairman Daljit Singh said the wicket would not be as bouncy as the usual Kotla track in the hazy day light.
"There are still four days to go. It depends on the weather. It won't seam much if there is not much sunshine. It would not be a hard wicket. The wicket will be quicker if sun shines," Singh said.
Although the previous two matches played at the Kotla have been lop-sided with India A thrashing South Africa A by an innings and 242 runs while Delhi scoring an outright victory over Rajasthan in the first round of the Ranji Trophy Super League here, Singh said it would be a good match.
"I hope it would be a result-oriented match," he said looking at the strip which was heavily covered with grass at the moment.
"We have already stopped watering the pitch and only surface watering was being done now. There are more chances of the ball moving in the air," he said.
"Kotla has one of the finest outfields in the country. It would be because of a rough outfield that the ball would reverse swing. Bowlers would be able to produce reverse swing if they have art or any other factor," he said.
The Kotla curator Radhe Shyam said he had made a "sporting wicket" and not a traditional "dead pitch" of Kotla.
"In today's age of twenty20 no one would want to watch a draw after five days of cricket," he said.
Radhe Shyam, who is the curator here for around 50 years now, said he was preparing the pitch for last six months and believed that it was an ideal Test wicket.
"I am preparing it for last six months. It is a Test wicket on which on the first day it will be bouncy and would favour batting on the second day. Subsequently, it will also assist spinners," he said.
India has played 28 matches at the Kotla ground and won nine. It has played four matches against Pakistan at the venue, winning two and drawing two.
The Men in Blue have comprehensively won their last six matches against Zimbabwe, (inns and 13 runs), Australia (7 wickets), Pakistan (212 runs), Zimbabwe (7 wickets), Zimbabwe (4 wickets) and Sri Lanka (188 runs).
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