According to the reports coming in, a greenish pitch might be laid for the first Test between India and West Indies since the Caribbeans have reached India and are all set to contest against the home team in the first Test of the two-match series at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Green Wickets awaits for Men in Blue in Ahmedabad
For the first Test between India and West Indies at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, ESPNCricinfo states that a red-soil pitch is to be used. The pitch is presently under a thick cover of green grass, states the report. But since the game is still one day away, it is expected that the curator shall trim this grass to about 4-5mm.
Pitch Report of Narendra Modi stadium
Maintaining a grass cover of about 4-5mm might also assist fast bowlers to get seam movement when the ball is hard and new. It is said that at red-soil grounds there is extra bounce for bowlers; hence, it might be hard for batters of either side to score where the bowlers hit the right areas.
Read Also:- Sarfaraz Khan Available for the West Indies Test
Green and red-soil pitches are altogether different from each other-one that could not retain moisture whereas the other retains moisture. So, for instance, with the sun shining relentlessly down, the pitch at Ahmedabad would run through steady deterioration, which would give spinners a chance as the game moves on. Early on, so, while the pacers might get some seam movement and extra bounce from the grass covering, the very fact of depositing the grass probably prevents the track from deteriorating faster than expected.
If green track comes into play at Ahmedabad, then we might witness India giving seam bowling allrounder Nitish Reddy a go in place of Kuldeep Yadav. On the other hand, West Indies will probably miss Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph, who could have been useful assets against India’s fearsome line-up on such a deck.
