Grassy wicket at Mohali! Just for a day
Chandigarh: On Monday, the pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium (PCA) in Mohali resembled the centre court for the men's singles final at Wimbledon 'a greenish expanse surrounded by lush green grass.
Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul, who had night practice on Monday, were roaming around the pitch. It was too enticing for them not to have a look at it. They would be unstoppable on such a pitch. It surely would have excited an ecologist.
A few hours before that, Munaf Patel was practising close to the strip but he looked least interested in the colour of it. With his medium pace, he too would have been unstoppable on such a surface but then like everyone around, Munaf too must be knowing that it would be foolhardy to expect a such a green top for Wednesday's semifinal against Pakistan.
The thinking behind leaving the grass till the last minute is to ensure the pitch does not crack up on the match day. With the sun beating down every day, a bald pitch could produce unwanted cracks.
There is every chance that the pitch would be tonsured by Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Like Munaf, none of the Indian players showed any interest in the wicket. They, instead, got down to business. With only two days left for the big game, the batsmen and bowlers sweated it out at the nets.
Sachin Tendulkar had a long, long batting session. The Little Master played short balls and upper cuts. Tendulkar even practised to a left-arm pacer, just in case Wahab Riaz was to play for Pakistan. After a break, Tendulkar returned for a second batting session.
This time, coach Gary Kirsten gave him throw-downs. Kirsten had similar throw-down at Yuvraj Singh and other batsmen as well. While Kirsten was dealing with batsmen, Eric Simons was monitoring the pacers.
He was seen advising S Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra. The Indian team is still undecided over its XI for the game but there is a likelihood of Munaf missing out on the match. A clear picture could emerge on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the players are reportedly being given motivational speeches by noted adventurer Mike Horn. He is believed to be sharing his experiences of different expeditions with all the players glued to him.
News Posted: 29 March, 2011
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