India vs England 4th Test: Hosts seek rank turner for Mumbai Test

Following the Mohali Test victory, India skipper Virat Kohli said that his team is strong enough and they don’t need rank turners to win matches at home. However, it was learned that instructions have been sent by the team management asking for the Wankhede Stadium curators to prepare a ‘bald’ pitch for the fourth Test starting onDecember 8.

Pitches for first three Tests were not rank turners. The Rajkot pitch was batting friendly while the Visakhapatnam track was slow with some uneven bounce. The Mohali pitch was dry but spinners got consistent turn only by the end the third day.

However, India have taken a 2-0 lead in this series, so spin pitch will help them to clinch the series at Wankhede. It was also learned that it would be a dry wicket. It is expected to be a slow turner, but batsmen will be able to score plenty of runs. (Virat Kohli’s team has bowling attack to win overseas Tests: Virender Sehwag)

With five days left for the match, there was a bit of grass. Water has been sprinkled and medium rolling is done in the last few days. The Wankhede wicket has in the last couple of seasons been a batting beauty. In the first Ranji Trophy match this season between Delhi and Maharashtra, 1,283 runs were scored.

Wankhede has also witnessed high-scoring ODIs and T20 Internationals, more than 400 runs scored in the last ODI match, in the World T20 West Indies beat India in the semifinal in March. In a World T20 match, England chased down South Africa’s 229 for 4 with two balls to spare. (Ranji Trophy: ‘Neutral’ venue system is new way forward for Indian cricket)

In the four T20 matches at the Wankhede Stadium, 1, 593 runs were scored, the most among the seven tournament venues. In October 2015, South Africa posted a record 438 for 4 in an ODI against India.

However, it was at the second Test in Wankhede that Alastair Cook’s men had begun their revival on the 2012 tour, winning by 10 wickets against MS Dhoni’s team at a rank turner. England have won the series 2-1. At the same time coach Anil Kumble and Virat Kohli asked not to criticise the team for seeing rank turner for the fourth Test.

“Even when we played in Kolkata (against New Zealand), we showed we are not a side that wants square turners. We have enough skill to play good cricket and win against any team and that’s the kind of belief we have created in the change room,” Kumble said at the post-match news conference.

“And that can only happen when you are not worried about what’s happening outside that door. You focus on your skills and strengths and move along.”

Kumble also said that the team management will not interfere with the pitch preparation. “We are not making any demands for the pitch. We will play on the pitch that is on offer and we will enter the field thinking that our spinners are better when it comes to experience and quality,” he said.