As South Africa and India prepare to face off in the second Test at Centurion's Supersport Park tomorrow (January 13), curator Bryan Bloy has spoken about the the 22-yard surface which is under the spotlight.
Indian batsmen came a cropper against the Proteas pace attack in Cape Town in the opening Test of the three-match rubber. The Virat Kohli-led visitors were beaten by 72 runs, failing to chase 208.
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The first Test ended in four days with one whole day's play (third) lost due to rain. Newlands pitch offered a lot of assistance to pacemen. Hosts captain Faf du Plessis called the four-day pitch as "first-day wicket" after winning the game.
Now again the focus is on the pitch. What is in store for both teams? Who will come on top? Will it be a green wicket? Answers to all these questions have been provided by Bloy.
"We are preparing a good wicket that will offer good competition between bat and ball and won't deteriorate much as the days go by," the chief groundsman was quoted as saying the South African media.
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In a bit of relief for Indian batsmen, Bloy revealed that it will not be a green top.
"During the first Test in Cape Town' from a distance I thought the ball moved around a little but we will do our best to prepare a much better wicket here in Centurion.
"There is no rain forecast from Thursday (January 11) and I am hoping that the pitch will be a good one but it will definitely not be a green top. We are doing our best to put together a good wicket and the challenge is for the boys to rock up here and do their thing," he added.
After the first Test loss, Kohli said it was an "outstanding pitch".
"The pitch was outstanding. It was great for Test cricket. Both teams were in the game at different stages. As a team we really enjoyed being part of this Test match," the Delhi right-hander had said.
