The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Duleep Rd 2: Gambhir’s Blue take on rampant Red
TWO BATSMEN scored centuries. A tearaway rookie picked up a five-for, and two spinners — one a leg-break bowler, and the other a chinaman — picked up 11 wickets between them in the second innings. The 22-yard strip here in Greater Noida for the opening Day/night Duleep Trophy encounter between India Red and India Green had all the ingredients for bowlers and the batsmen to prosper. And if the track here plays out anything like it did last week, then Game 2 of the Duleep Trophy encounter too promises to be an intriguing contest.
Perhaps the biggest attestation of this came from a prominent member of the ground staff. "The wicket here is pretty much the same that hosted the first game. There is 4mm grass cover and it will be a perfect sporting track," he said ahead of the India Red and India Blue game.
Apart from the track, the pink ball had created a lot of interest — from its visibility, durability and the adaptability — all being the talking points during the first game. However, the pink ball has raised a few concerns regarding its ability to withstand dew.
Dew had made an appearance on Day 3 of the first game, causing the pink ball to be changed twice. Despite his 9-wicket haul in the match, it was India Red's chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav, had expressed reservations about the pink ball.
"I think it (dew) was a major concern on Day 3. The ball went out of shape, and had to be changed twice. As a spinner, I was finding it difficult to grip the ball," Yadav said.
If the BCCI is serious about hosting a pink ball Test in the future, it cannot afford to host a Test match during the winters in North India using the pink ball.
Another unknown factor is the pink ball's efficacy on much drier wickets. So far, the first Duleep Trophy game was played with 4mm grass cover, while the one-off pink ball Test match featuring Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide last year had used 11mm grass cover. India Green wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel said a clearer picture of the pink ball will emerge one it is tested on a drier wicket. "It's too early to predict. We have been playing on greener wickets for the Duleep Trophy here. We will have to wait and see how it behaves on a drier wicket. A call can be taken only then," Parthiv noted.
India Blue's captain Gautam Gambhir, was guarded on the concerns regarding the pink ball. Instead, he chose to focus on the basics and believed the way forward in the tournament was in playing as a unit. “The most important thing is that we turn up tomorrow and win the tournament. That is how the game of cricket should be played rather than to look at individual performances. It’s about winning the tournament,” he said.
Barren patches relaid
Ahead of the second Duleep Trophy game, a senior member of the ground staff at the Greater Noida stadium said layers of grass from the banks were relaid on the barren patches near the bowler's run-up area at the Pavilion End of the ground. The move came after some of the fast bowlers who played the first game said the soft soil on these barren patches was detering them during their run-up.
"Several fast bowlers had complained after the last game that the soft soil at the Pavilion End were detering them in their runup. We have now covered that patch of land with chunks of grass from the banks," a member of the ground staff said.