02 December,2021 08:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Subodh Mayure
The Wankhede Stadium pitch under covers yesterday. Pic/Subodh Mayure
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It was a dull day as it poured throughout at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. The visiting New Zealand team had to cancel their morning practice session ahead of the second and final Test against India beginning tomorrow.
The continuous downpour forced the Indian team also to stay indoors in their hotel rooms. After the drawn Kanpur Test on Monday, both teams are keen on a win in Mumbai to clinch the crucial 12 points in the ICC World Test Championship. However, the weather looks set to dampen everyone's spirits. The forecast for the next two days indicates that rain will continue, meaning there will be little or no play possible on Day One tomorrow.
Just like the players, the curators at the Wankhede are praying for the rain to stop as it is affecting their pitch preparation. The centre wicket prepared for the Test along with all the practice strips and the run-up area were covered yesterday.
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"The wicket preparation process is definitely getting affected after Wednesday and now Thursday, lost due to rain. Generally, if the pitch is covered, some grass - up to around 1mm - will grow in a day, so this needs to be cut by the groundsmen. We will come to know the actual nature of the pitch only when the rain stops. There is a lot of water on the outfield and this also needs to be taken care of. If this [rain] continues, the opening day of the match will be washed out," an official told mid-day on Wednesday.
The Wankhede Stadium's outfield is sand-based and has an effective drainage system. However, the rain needs to stop and the ground requires sunlight for a minimum of two hours for the surface to dry properly.
It's not an ideal situation if this continues as both teams will have to head into Day Two of the Test [on Saturday] without a single net session.
"As the wicket has been covered with plastic sheets, there is no scope for any air or light to go through, so this will make the pitch slightly slow. The groundsmen have not even been able to roll the pitch due to the continuous rain," added the official.
1988
The year NZ last played a Test match at Wankhede. The visitors won by 136 runs
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