Team India are said to have been a worried lot yesterday, moments after they saw a tinge of green on the Wankhede wicket ahead of the second Test beginning tomorrow. It is learnt that a few senior players even expressed their concern to members of the ground staff
A source close to the happening said: “A few players were surprised to see a little grass on the wicket. Some of it will be chopped on match eve, and they were happy to hear that. Some grass will still be retained though.”
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The wicket for the second Test has become a matter of discussion after India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s critical view of the Motera pitch despite winning the match by nine wickets. “I don’t even want to see this wicket.
Skipper MS Dhoni inspects the Wankhede pitchu00a0ahead of the second Test yesterday. Pic/Atul Kamble
There wasn’t enough turn and bounce for the spinners… Hopefully in the coming matches we’ll see the wicket turn, right from start, or as soon as possible, so that the toss doesn’t become vital,” he had said after the win. However, the Wankhede wicket is not expected to please Dhoni either. It is expected to offer some bounce and turn which will aid seamers and spinners. “The bounce is expected to be lesser in the last two days of the match,” informed a source.
Speedster Zaheer Khan and offie Harbhajan Singh were both seen inspecting the pitch yesterday. The duo were accompanied by curator Sudhir Naik, who is also Zaheer’s club coach at National CC.u00a0