Agency :
Bangladesh are set to be hosted on a red-soil pitch in the first of the two-match Test series at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
According to a report published by The Indian Express, the opening Test is set to take place on a pitch that is predominantly comprised of red soil content.
Bangladesh are accustomed to playing on black-soil pitches, which tend to be firmer due to the higher clay content and favour the spinners right from the start.
On the other hand, red soil would have lesser clay content and would show more bounce on the initial days and crack up as the Test match progresses.
It indicates that the Tigers will face a tough challenge as they are scrapped off from their typical conditions. Both fast bowlers and spinners can play their roles on such tracks.
A black-soil pitch scuffed up by spike marks creating black spots on the full-length area on either side, slightly damp with a tinge of grass, greeted India at their first pre-season camp that began on Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. On a day when temperatures touched 370C, India’s training session began at 9.30 am and extended till 3 pm with the entire team in attendance.
India, who are scheduled to face Bangladesh in the first Test here starting September 19, have a busy schedule ahead of them. With as many as 10 Tests lined up in the next four months, the pre-season camp was a clear reflection that it wasn’t just preparation for the Bangladesh series, but also for the upcoming fixtures against New Zealand (3 Tests) at home and Australia (5 Tests) away.
Although the nets at the MAC ‘B’ stadium are generally used for training purposes, India chose to use the spare centre-wicket at the main ground for their camp. The session began with Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli batting in the two nets. The black soil pitch was allotted to face the spinners and on the far side, pacers including Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj lined up.
With Bangladesh having a good combination of attack, India have even chosen their net bowlers accordingly. With Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam – two contrasting left-arm spinners in Bangladesh ranks – and New Zealand having Ajaz Patel, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra in the mix who all offer different challenges in terms of trajectory and release points, India’s choice of net bowlers made for an interesting move. Apart from Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, here they had Tamil Nadu’s S Ajith Ram, M Siddharth and P Vignesh (all Slow Left Orthodox). And with off-spinners posing plenty of questions to them off-late, apart from R Ashwin, the batsmen fronted up against Tamil Nadu’s Lakshay Jain and Mumbai’s Ashwin-clone Himanshu Singh.
The Tigers will boost confidence from the recent Test series as they are coming off a historic series 2-0 sweep over Pakistan.
The first Test is going to begin on September 19. The second match of the series is scheduled on September 27 at Kanpur.
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