The Green Park curator has unveiled the blueprint for the wicket that will host the second Test between India and Bangladesh, promising a surface that will cater to both pacers and spinners over the course of the five-day encounter.
The pitch, which will be used for the Test commencing on Friday, is expected to provide a lively bounce in the initial sessions, favoring the pacers. However, as the match progresses, the spinners are anticipated to come into their own, with the wicket expected to slow down and offer assistance to the tweakers.
“It will have something for everyone,” said curator Shiv Kumar. “It will offer bounce in the first two sessions and it will be pretty good for batting for the first two days. Then, the spinners will come into play on the last three days.”
The pitch has been prepared using black soil sourced from Kali Mitti village near Unnao, a practice that has been followed for years at Green Park. Black soil is known to assist spinners, while red soil typically favors pacers.
“We get this soil tested from the Indian Institute of Technology,” said an official from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA). “It’s a special soil that is found near a pond in village Kali Mitti. It (bringing black soil from the village) is a practice we have been following for years.”
In an effort to promote environmental sustainability, the UPCA has decided to minimize the use of plastic during the second Test. Plastic plates for serving snacks inside the stadium have been banned, with only paper plates being allowed.
“This is a match at Green Park and we are striving to make it a ‘green’ match,” said stadium director Sanjay Kapur. “We have decided to use as little plastic as possible.”
