With curator saying that Wankhede pitch won't turn from onset, series-clinching victory in 4th Test will improve hosts' average record at this venue as well as reiterate Kohli's point that they can win on any surface
There's one word that usually crops up during conversations surrounding the Wankhede: fortress. The swanky stadium has produced many a memorable victories for the city's IPL franchise Mumbai Indians as well as the 42-time champion Ranji Trophy team.
However, that word doesn't quite fit when it comes to Team India at the Wankhede, which will host the fourth Test between the hosts and England here from Thursday.
Figure this: In the eight Test matches played on this venue since 2000, the hosts have managed to win only thrice, losing four of them and drawing one. Two of those defeats have come against the same opposition that they're facing currently (2006 and 2012), while one each have come against South Africa (2000) and Australia (2001).
Overall, out of the 24 Tests that the Wankhede has hosted, India have won only 10 times, losing seven times and drawing the same number of games. Out of the six venues in the country that has hosted 20 or more Tests, Wankhede ranks fourth in the list of number of victories for India, with Kolkata and Bengaluru having a slightly worse record for the hosts.
These numbers might have caused a few headaches for Indian teams in the past, but the bunch of men under Virat Kohli have shown a trend to turn records on its head. The India skipper has time and again reiterated that factors like history, statistics and conditions matter little for them, and so does the pitch.
Far too much spotlight has been on the final aspect in Tests in India over the last 18 months. Victories by Kohli's troops in the home run have been somewhat undermined with the accusation of curators doling out 'rank turners'.
The captain has cited wins against New Zealand on a green top in Kolkata earlier this year as well as in Mohali against England as examples that the team does not need spin from Day One to get results their way.
The Wankhede Test might just be another big opportunity for Kohli to drive home that point.
"The Wankhede track always has bounce, even if the grass on the pitch is cut. It will be the same for this Test," Ramesh Mamunkar, curator of the Wankhede, said on Monday. "Fast bowlers can extract that bounce if they bend their backs, especially on the first couple of days."
The numbers back that as well: three of the top five wicket-takers at the Wankhede are fast and fast-medium bowlers: Kapil Dev, Karsan Ghavri and Ian Botham. The pacers, thus, will have a crucial role to play in the Test, especially for the team that bowls first.
And Kohli has two top-notch fast bowlers –Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav – in the peak of their prowess to back his spinners, who, according to Mamunkar, will come into play from the third day.
"The wicket will start deteriorating at the end of the second day or so, and the spinners will then have their say from around the third day. It will be a sporting pitch, and a result-oriented one," Mamunkar said.
Last year in October, the same Wankhede track was a hotbed of controversy after the then Team India director Ravi Shastri abused Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) curator Sudhir Naik for providing a flat wicket without any assistance to spinners for the final ODI against South Africa, which the hosts lost by a massive margin.
A series-clinching victory in the Mumbai Test might just help Kohli and the current team management kill two birds with one stone: better Team India's record at Wankhede and put the spotlight on pitches on the back burner.
INDIA IN TESTS AT WANKHEDE SINCE 2000
Year Opposition Result
2000 South Africa South Africa won by 4 wickets
2001 Australia Australia won by 10 wickets
2002 West Indies India won by an innings and 112 runs
2004 Australia India won by 13 runs
2006 England England won by 212 runs
2011 West Indies Match drawn
2012 England England won by 10 wickets
2013 West Indies India won by an innings and 126 runs
MOST WINS FOR INDIA AT HOME ON A VENUE (at least 20 Tests)
Venue Mat Win Loss Tied Draw
Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi 33 13 6 0 14
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 31 13 6 1 11
Eden Gardens, Kolkata 40 12 9 0 19
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai 24 10 7 0 7
Green Park, Kanpur 22 7 3 0 12
M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru 21 6 6 0 9
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