IND v AUS: Nagpur pitch curator promises sporting wicket for final ODI

The final ODI between India and Australia in the ongoing series will be nothing but a dead rubber. With the hosts already clinching the series, the eyes would perhaps be on how both teams approach the game. India could try and test their bench strength in Nagpur like they did in the previous game. On the other hand, Australia will hope to savor some more pride before heading into the T20Is. Action moves to the VCA Stadium, Nagpur for the final showdown in the ODI series.

The pitch curator at the venue, Pravin Hingnikar, has promised a sporting track for the upcoming fixture. He mentioned that the batsmen and the bowlers will have equal opportunities in the game. The former Vidarbha all-rounder also noted that the toss will not be a big impact in the match. Commenting on the weather, he expressed his relief on remarking that there has not been any significant weather disruptions in the recent days.

“It will be a very sporting wicket, but what’s required is the team to put runs on the board. I don’t think the toss will have a major role to play given this is a true wicket. It will provide equal opportunity for both the teams… Be it spinners or seamers, no one would have an added advantage come Sunday,” he quoted as per the quotes in Hindustan Times.

“We’ve been working on the pitch for the past 10-12 days, although we had to halt our work in between because of heavy downpour. Luckily, there is no forecast of rain; even if it does rain, we are prepared to tackle the situation given our surface and underground drainage are up to the mark. We’ll be covering the entire ground in the night just in case it rains,” he added further.

History of the track

The track at Nagpur has had mixed bag of fortunes for the the Indian team in the recent past. When team India locked horns with South Africa in a Test match at the venue, the ICC had warned the venue for having prepared a poor wicket that saw the game end inside three days.

In the last ODI played here, team India won against Australia despite the latter scoring in excess of 350. In the previous T20I played at Nagpur, team India were shot down for a paltry 79 in the World T20 in 2016 against New Zealand.