
However, they have requested the Mumbai Cricket Association prepare another spinning pitch, or “rank turner,” for the third Test at Wankhede Stadium.
India have already lost this series 2-0 – their first home series loss since 2012 and an end of their 18-series home winning streak;
Now, They hope to avoid an all-out whitewash in their own backyard which hasn’t occurred since February 2000.
India Demand Spin-Friendly Wankhede Pitch
“The goal is to create a pitch favoring spinners from Day 1,” as per reports from The Indian Express.
As reported by The Indian Express, Indian team management has requested the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) prepare a pitch that favors spinners from Day 1 of the third Test match against New Zealand in Mumbai.
This decision follows India’s defeat at Pune, where their batters struggled against Mitchell Santner and other New Zealand
spinners; 19 wickets fell to spinners, with Santner taking 13 of those wickets lost there; this continues a recent trend where Indian batters struggle with quality spin pitches and are therefore vulnerable.
Indian Spinners Outperformed by New Zealand in Pune
Player | Venue | Wickets Taken | Bowling Average |
---|
Ravichandran Ashwin | Wankhede | 38 | 18.42 |
Ravindra Jadeja | Wankhede | 6 | 16.50 |
India’s recent failures of their batting have differed significantly from what happened in Pune because their premier spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were outbowled by opponents who played spin bowlers of their own side.
Both Indian spinners have had considerable success at Wankhede Stadium – Ravichandran Ashwin collected 38 wickets at 18.42 in five games; Ravindra Jadeja managed six in his sole appearance here.
Batters won’t find it any easier with red soil providing plenty of bounce and spin. Meanwhile, Pune had slow turning pitches.
India Aiming to Avoid Historic Whitewash
India last lost all three matches of a Test series at home since February 2000 when South Africa blanked them 2-0.
Even against New Zealand, India failed to prevail despite playing two Tests under vastly differing conditions.
New Zealand didn’t deploy any spinners during India’s first innings at Bengaluru for their inaugural Test match against them.
Matt Henry took five wickets, Will O’Rourke four and Tim Southee one to dismiss India for 46 in record-low scoring innings.
Rachin Ravindra scored an exceptional 134 off 157 balls – most of it in an eighth wicket stand with Southee of 137 runs in just 132 balls – to help New Zealand score 402 runs in their second innings and launch their remarkable comeback against India’s extraordinary comeback attempt.
Sarfaraz Khan made 150 from 195 balls while Rishabh Pant made 99 from 105, but their total collapsed from 408/3 to being all out for 462.
New Zealand set themselves a target of 107 runs which they effortlessly chased down for victory – this marked New Zealand’s first Test victory since 1988 in India.
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References
Hindustan times
Cricket Addictor
