For the first time in the series, coach Rahul Dravid wasn’t the first member from the Indian camp to have a look at the playing surface for the upcoming fifth Test vs England in Dharamsala. By the time his helicopter landed from Bilaspur at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium, the fielding drills were already underway and Dravid took more time to switch into India’s training gear. The pitch visits have become a very strict routine for Dravid and it was a bit unusual to not see him chatting, with hands on his waist, with the central and local curators.
But even if he had come early, there is very little which could have been done as far as the playing surface is concerned. The recent rains haven’t allowed the drying-up process to begin and the pitch wore a very Indian look from some distance. No grass was spotted on the surface and even if there was any, it is likely to be shaved off before the coin goes up for the toss.
Jonny Bairstow informed at the press conference that this is a “used pitch from the Ranji Trophy” and just going by the last fixture – Delhi vs Himachal Pradesh last month – played here, seamers will do the bulk of the bowling and batters, once their get their eye in, will enjoy these conditions.
Both Delhi and HP didn’t play a specialist spinner in that game and batters certainly enjoyed the trueness of the surface. The ball came nicely onto the bat and there were plenty of runs on offer. In their second innings, Delhi batters played with a lot of intent and operated at a run rate in excess of 6.0 throughout their innings.
Not a usual scorecard reading for a Ranji game but the pitch allowed that brand of cricket to be played. While two teams did miss a trick by not playing a single specialist spinner, the trueness of the surface was maintained across the four days of cricket played at the picturesque venue.
Since that game, the region has witnessed spells of rain and hail, and even though there has been sun, it hasn’t been consistent and strong enough to dry the surface. No wonder it looked very flat and firm, and is likely to retain the nature for the Test.
More than the pitch, it’s the conditions which both India and England need to be wary of as the fickle weather in Dharamsala can pose a real challenge. It could be bright and sunny in one session, and turn very cloudy the next before turning windy and chilly.
Rain on opening day?
It’s the opening day of the Test – March 7 – which has been literally the talk of town. The forecasts have prediction of rain on the day and the locals are very convinced that it will rain on the opening day.
“It will most likely rain sir. The way clouds are building up near the peaks, it’s a sign for us. If a miracle happens, may be they pass the stadium but some rain will happen for sure. The good point is the app shows high pressure zone developing, which is positive sign but you never know,” says a taxi driver.
No one, not even the scientific weather apps, understands hilly weather better than the locals. They say conditions will be mostly clear after opening day but it remains to be seen how much moisture the surface retains from the spell of rain, if and when it happens. There was lot of rain in the last week but the sun has come out generously in the last couple of days to help evaporate the moisture which would have seeped into the 22 yards.
In a nut shell, it will be the conditions which will dictate this match and not the surface. And the team which adapts and reacts well to the fickle weather will be the one which comes out on top in this contest.
Even coach Rahul would have probably understood that by now. There is very little which could be done to the playing surface in these conditions and that is why his visits to the curators have been short and sweet.
After India’s net session was done, Dravid did pay a final visit of the day and spoke to the curators. The moment he left, a member of the ground staff, wearing a yellow tank like a backpack, generously sprayed something, possibly a drying agent, around the popping crease.
There’s still one more day to go before action begins but the conditions will not allow the pitch to react to any tinkering, and it’s safe to say it will be the truest surface of the series. Whatever magic will happen, is likely to happen in the air and not off the surface.
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