After the debacle of Pune, the obvious, most thought about, talked about and discussed topic going into the second Test match in Bengaluru is going to be the pitch.
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With the decision to make the wicket in Pune a dry, turning one completely backfiring, India will know that they need to tread carefully when it comes to preparing the track for the 2nd Test at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
India have won most of their matches in this home season playing on proper tracks – one that is good for batting for the first couple of days, before slowly, through wear and tear, bringing the spinners into play.
That tactic should never have been thrown out and the curators at the Chinnaswamy are planning on bringing back the "sporting" pitch tactic back into play for the second Test.
"We want to give the teams and fans a very good wicket," Karnataka State Cricket Association interim secretary R Sudhakar Rao was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald. "We've had curator K Sriram working on it and he's prepared a very good track.
"It should aid batting for the first couple of days. Spinners will start coming into play from the third day onwards. The spinners will get a lot more purchase from it on the fourth and fifth day.
"There should be appreciable bounce right through. So even the fast bowlers should enjoy bowling on this track."
According to some reports, the Pune pitch, in the leadup to the Test match, was hardly watered, and that clearly is not going to be the case in Bengaluru. While the city might be facing soaring temperatures, the curators at the Chinnaswamy are determined to retain some moisture on the pitch for the start of the game.
"We obviously would have preferred balmy conditions," Rao added. "When the weather is hot, the pitch dries up faster.
"But we've watered the square adequately and ensured it doesn't lose its moisture. We are hoping for good action on all days."
With the first Test ending inside three days, the fans and the powers that be of the KSCA will hope to see a Test match that goes the distance and lasts all five days.
