Fresh pitch controversy hits Indian Test series

1 year ago 87

Another transportation successful India is astatine the centre of contention aft groundstaff attempted to prohibition Australian media from taking photographs of the wicket being prepared for the 2nd Test.

The pitch astatine Arun Jaitley Stadium was nether choky surveillance arsenic reporters tried to get a work connected the wicket up of the 2nd lucifer of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, opening astatine 3pm connected Friday (AEDT).

Initially ordered by a subordinate of the groundstaff that helium indispensable beryllium astatine slightest 30 metres distant to instrumentality pictures, the writer was past asked to determination to the boundary, wherever helium was told helium was not allowed to photograph astatine all.

Andrew Wu of The Age was capable to photograph the transportation from precocious successful the basal down the bowler's limb earlier the Australian squad rolled successful for training.

"It looks beauteous dry," said Australian speedy Mitchell Starc.

"The groundsmen said the nets look beauteous akin and the 2 days we trained connected were truly debased and took a batch of turn.

"If that's an indication, past that's what it's going to beryllium like.

"Having a look the past mates of days, it looks similar it's prepared beauteous similar, arsenic well, (to the Nagpur pitch)."

It appears the icy instructions successful Delhi were brought astir by the vulnerability of dubious transportation mentation earlier the archetypal Test successful Nagpur.

Cricket journalist Bharat Sundaresan posted photographs connected Twitter and explained that, portion watering astir of the pitch, the curators were leaving the areas extracurricular the left-hander's disconnected stump to cook successful the heat.

"Interesting attraction of the transportation successful Nagpur," Sundaresan wrote.

"The groundstaff watered the full centre of the aboveground and lone the magnitude areas extracurricular the left-hander's limb stump and past rolled lone the centre, stopping abbreviated each clip they got to the good-length areas astatine some ends."

The ploy was devised due to the fact that of Australia's heavy left-handed squad.

History doesn't bode good for the Australians arsenic they strive to combat backmost from their decision successful the archetypal Test, successful which they lost by an innings and 132 runs.

The Australians person won lone 1 of the 7 Tests they've played successful Delhi, erstwhile Richie Benaud skippered them to triumph successful 1959.

They haven't played astatine Arun Jaitley Stadium since 2013, erstwhile they mislaid by six wickets nether the captaincy of Shane Watson, who filled successful arsenic skipper aft Michael Clarke was sidelined by his troublesome back.

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