The Indian cricket team’s morale is on a high after their commanding victory over South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town, with a seven-wicket win that wrapped up within the first two days. This performance came shortly after India had to face a heavy loss in Centurion at the hands of the Proteas. Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, concerned about the assessment of pitches in red-ball cricket, has called for impartiality after this mixed showing, which saw the Indian pacers shine on the host’s seam-friendly wickets.
With eyes now turning towards a five-match Test series against England beginning on January 25th in India, there are raised eyebrows wondering what kind of pitches the hosts will prepare. This concern arises after significant criticism faced by Indian pitches during the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy where the matches concluded within just three days. It’s clear that the pitch conditions are a subject of intense scrutiny, and English cricketer Jonny Bairstow’s latest statements have fanned the flames of this ‘pitch talk’.
Bairstow, speaking to Sky Sports, suggested that the kind of pitches India decides to roll out could drastically impact the dynamic of their currently in-form seam attack. “India can produce different pitches, it doesn’t have to turn,” he said. “We’ve seen how potent their seam attack has been recently. I’m sure the pitches will turn: it’s whether or not they’ll turn from day one, which potentially negates a bit of their strength in their seam attack. We know how strong they are.”
The England batsman, who himself averages a less-than-impressive 27.79 from 14 Test innings on Indian soil, acknowledged the strength of India’s spin contingent. “Obviously, the last time Axar and Ashwin played well. You forget that in that first Test match, the guys played really well; Rooty (Joe Root) got a double in the first Test match in Chennai and then conditions changed quite drastically,” he reflected. Bairstow also stated that the Indian squad selection would be telling of the potential pitch conditions and the nature of play that the visitors can expect.
“We know that it’s the quality spinners, especially in India, we know that they are going to come at us. Whether Axar plays, whether he doesn’t play. Whether Jadeja plays or Kuldeep plays, who knows? We’ll have to wait and see,” Bairstow elaborated. “But there’s no point in overthinking things before their squad’s announced before we see the pitch and the conditions that (are) in front of us.”
This anticipated series comes at a critical time for the Indian team, where their pace attack has been increasingly vaunted and has become a pillar of their red-ball strategy. However, Bairstow’s remarks remind cricket enthusiasts that the subcontinent’s pitches are notorious for aiding spinners, potentially shifting the home team’s advantage. The discussions about the pitch underscore a deeper narrative about home-ground advantage and the strategies team employ to exploit familiar conditions.
Besides the pitch debate, the cricket community’s lenses are also focused on other news. The BCCI has announced the India A squad with Easwaran appointed as the captain for warm-up games against England. Meanwhile, cricket stalwart David Warner marked his farewell by underscoring the importance of the Test format to the sport. Over in domestic cricket during the Ranji Trophy 2024, Cheteshwar Pujara and Devdutt Padikkal have been in the spotlight, registering significant scores, while Ajinkya Rahane misses out due to injury.
As the build-up to the high-profile Test series between England and India intensifies, one cannot help but wait in anticipation to see how the pitch conditions will actually play out and whether India’s pacers or spinners will reign supreme in the subcontinent’s cauldron.
