MUMBAI: Facing the prospect of a 3-0 series sweep by New Zealand at home, it will be intriguing to see what kind of pitch India prepares for the third and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium from November 1.
The hosts have appeared vulnerable to both seam in Bengaluru and spin in Pune.
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TOI has learnt that the pitch for the third Test against New Zealand is unlikely to be a rank turner, the type that allowed Kiwi left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner to dismantle India’s batting line-up in the second Test in Pune.
In that match, Santner took seven for 53 and six for 104, for a match haul of 13/157.
On Monday, BCCI‘s chief pitch curator Ashish Bhowmick, along with elite panel curator Taposh Chatterjee, met Wankhede curator Ramesh Mamunkar to review the pitch.
“It will be a sporting track. Right now, there’s a bit of grass on the pitch. It’s expected to be good for batting on Day 1 but should offer turn to spinners from Day 2,” a reliable source told TOI.
In the last Test at Wankhede in Dec 2021, India crushed New Zealand by 372 runs, bowling them out for 62 and 167 on a pitch that offered spin assistance, while scoring 325 and 276 for seven declared.
Ravichandran Ashwin took a match haul of 8 for 42, while New Zealand’s Ajaz Patel made history with figures of 10 for 119 in the first innings and four for 104 in the second, totalling 14 wickets for 223 runs.
