Shamik Chakrabarty in Kanpur
Around 12 noon on Thursday, it started to drizzle in Kanpur. The groundsmen were quick to react, and the entire playing arena went under wraps. The heat was almost unbearable for the last few days. The weather changed today. There’s a forecast of rain for the next two days and the Test match could be affected.
Conditions will play a part in both teams picking their respective playing XIs. On the face of it, the black-soil pitch at Green Park calls for playing an extra spinner. From India’s point of view, one of Kuldeep Yadav or Axar Patel should come in, at the expense of a seamer (Mohammed Siraj or Akash Deep). Bangladesh, on the other hand, should consider playing left-arm spinner Taijul Islam in place of Nahid Rana. But if it is overcast on matchday, things can change.
Conditions played a big role in India dropping Ravichandran Ashwin and going with an extra pacer in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval. It proved to be a blunder. As for the game against Bangladesh, the hosts are keeping their options open.
“With the conditions and the forecast, it is going to be interesting as to how, when we turn up, to go in the morning,” Abhishek Nayar, India’s assistant coach, said at the pre-match press conference. “A lot will depend on that because as you know in Test cricket, conditions can be a huge factor in how the pitch plays. So, it is too early for us to judge and decide, or have any sort of thought process on the pitch or the conditions. But we are hoping we come in tomorrow to a sunny day and not an overcast Kanpur.”
Both Kuldeep and Axar batted with intent at the nets on match eve. But in a batting line-up where Ashwin comes in at No. 8, with the ability to score game-turning hundreds in home conditions, an extra batting cushion will not be required. If Kuldeep or Axar is picked, that will be from the bowling perspective. Axar is a restrictive spinner on good pitches. He can be destructive on Bunsens. The Green Park pitch is far from a raging turner, and Kuldeep offers more variety and cutting edge. Also, being a local boy, he knows the venue inside out.
“I cannot give you the playing XI now,” said Nayar. “The thought process is to come and see how the conditions are tomorrow and how the pitch looks tomorrow based on the forecast. But everyone is fit and ready to go.”
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Change in training approach
There’s a noticeable change in India’s training approach under Gautam Gambhir. At Chepauk, they did their net sessions on a surface that looked like a fourth-day pitch. Here also, they were challenging themselves, conditions-wise. It felt like the team was doing match simulations, increasing the degree of difficulty. Nayar gave the lowdown. “Sometimes the thought process is just to challenge them differently so that your game and organically, mentally you grow. We are just trying to make sure that we can simulate what we are going to do in the game in practice as well.”
The last two Tests here were against New Zealand, in 2016 and 2021. Both matches lasted five days. In 2016, the home team won. Five years later, Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel thwarted India on Day 5 to eke out a draw.
Without weather interruptions, Bangladesh would do well to take the game to the fifth day.
Green Park safe to host Test, says venue director
The Green Park venue director Sanjay Kapoor has shot down concerns over the stadium, as it is ready to host the second Test between India and Bangladesh, starting tomorrow. RevSportz already reported that Block C upper tier had some issues in terms of taking load and the local PWD directed the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association not to sell all the tickets in that particular block.
Block C has a capacity of around 4,800 and a portion of the total capacity can be used. “The lower tier doesn’t have any problem,” Kapoor said. “In the upper tier, the PWD told us that the load could be an issue and accordingly, we have decided to sell around 1,100-1,200 tickets.”
As for the floodlights, he said: “They are working fine. If anything crops up, we will fix it.” Kapoor expressed his satisfaction over Green Park hosting a Test after a gap of three years.
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