Nagpur pitch will be another turner, VCA curator admits

Ashwin’s performance will be instrumental for the Men in Blue

Amar Karlekar, the Vidarbha Cricket Association curator, has said that the pitch for the third test between India and South Africa in Nagpur will not vary much from the turning track in Mohali, Times of India reports.

In the first test match at Mohali, the Indian spinners spun the Proteas out of the match with both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picking a fifer each in the first and second innings respectively. The pitch in Jamtha dons a dry look as well and the Indian spinners will take a lot of heart out of it.

On the other hand, the South African batsmen except AB de Villiers have struggled quite badly against spin and they might be in for another humiliation after being bowled out for 184, 109 and 214 in their last three innings.

"It will turn, surely. It will not be too different from the pitches we have seen so far in the series. India will have the home advantage," Amar Karlekar, the Vidarbha Cricket Association curator said.

Spinners grabbed 16 out of 20 wickets in recent Ranji match at same ground

The curator told the Indian daily that the Ranji match between Vidarbha and Assam was played on the same pitch in order to test it. The nature of the pitch became quite noticeable when the Vidarbha spinners grabbed 16 wickets in total to give the hosts a win.

"The Assam match was played on this very surface. Vidarbha team management wanted a pitch to help their spinners. I too wanted to see how it turns out. We won that game and we have all seen how the pitch behaved," Karlekar said.

"It's a pitch where a skipper can go with three spinners and a lone pacer. It will be dry and will help spinners right from the start. The only assistance on offer for the pacers will be the reverse swing," an official said, confirming the curator’s remark about the track.

The last time the two teams faced each other on the very same venue was in 2010 and Hashim Amla’s double ton and Dale Steyn’s five-wicket haul ensured a humiliating loss for the hosts by more than an innings on that occasion.

When the curator was asked if the fast bowlers can be as effective as Steyn was five years back on the pitch, he said, “Frankly, I don't think something like that will be possible this time. It will be very difficult for a fast bowler to repeat that feat on this surface. Of course, if the batsmen gift away wickets, things could be different".

The Indian team will try their best to take full use of the favorable conditions and wrap up the series in Nagpur itself after the rain stopped them from utilizing the upper hand they gained on the first day of Bengaluru test.

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Edited by Staff Editor