A good batting surface is expected for the second and final Test between India and the West Indies at the Feroz Shah Kotla with curators anticipating the pitch to aid stroke play for the first two days before offering only slow turn as the game progresses.
The traditionally black-soil surface at the Kotla has a reputation for assisting batters early on before gradually breaking down to bring spinners into play. For this Test, however, a fresh centre strip has been prepared, and the early part of the contest is expected to be dominated by batsmen.
“The centre strip has been prepared for the Test. This is a different track from the one on which Smriti Mandhana scored a 50-ball hundred,” a BCCI official said. He said the curators have deliberately focused on ensuring even bounce in the initial stages.
“If West Indies bat better, the match won’t end inside three days. The pitches would only offer turn from Day Three, and that too slowish in nature,” he said.
The pitch preparation is being supervised by local curator Ankit Datta, with senior BCCI curators Taposh Chatterjee and Ashish Bhowmick overseeing the final touches. Historically, the Kotla has been known for its slow turners, where spinners gradually come into play as the game wears on. But for this Test, indications are that batsmen could enjoy a relatively smooth ride at least until the afternoon session of the third day.
Decline in WI Test cricket like cancer, says Sammy
Comparing the decline of Test cricket in the West Indies to "cancer" in the system developing over a long period of time, former West Indies captain Darren Sammy, a two time T20 World Cup winning skipper, said, "I mean the last time when we won a Test series in India was in 1983, my mother had me."
"I know now I'm under the microscope. I'm in the middle, and we're open to criticism, to be criticised by everybody. But the root of the problem didn't start two years ago. It's something that started way back," Sammy, who also captained in a lopsided 2013 series against India, said.
Sammy said the team’s problems don't lie on the surface, but are rooted deep into the system. "We could only work with what we have and who's willing. The inability to match some of the franchises across the world has been an issue," he said.
Also read: In-form India crush wobbly WI in 3 days
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