India versus England: Hyderabad pitch will turn, but by when and how much

The arrival of Bazball and the fixation around it means all the usual noise that comes up in the lead up to a Test in India is rather quiet. So much so that when Rohit Sharma and Ben Stokes fronted up to the media on Wednesday, there was just one question about the pitch on offer for the first Test at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

“It looks good,” was all that Rohit had to offer. Not a word more or less. The attention was understandably more on Bazball and whether it could work in these parts, an unchartered territory as far as Stokes & Co. are concerned.

They may not have spoken publicly about it, but the 22 yards remained the sole focus for both teams during their training session. By naming three spinners in their XI – Jack Leach, Rehan Ahmed and debutant Tom Hartley – to go with the sole sheer pace of Mark Wood, England clearly gave away their reading of the pitch.

With the temperature being in the mid-20s throughout January because of winter, the pitch hasn’t been exposed to much sunlight. With moisture being a constant factor, the pitch preparations for the Test began on January 18 with BCCI’s panel of curators Ashish Bhowmick and Taposh Chatterjee overseeing it. And the bright sun shine meant the pitch was kept under covers for the first time — preventing it from breaking up.

While the pitch will take turn is a given, the question is how soon and how much. Since the Test is being played towards the end of winter, and less exposure to sunlight to go with presence of moisture means, even India aren’t entirely sure of how this one would behave. On Wednesday, head coach Rahul Dravid made multiple visits to the square, which predominantly is made of black soil.

In the zone and ready for the #INDvENG Test series opener ⏳#TeamIndia | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/ubHDKHtrvN

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 24, 2024

It is understood that since there is already a lot of moisture, there hasn’t been much watering as it could take time for the pitch to break. The moisture level is what is keeping everyone guessing. It is learnt that if there isn’t enough sunshine and the moisture level continues to remain the same, then the pitch here may not break as quickly as it did during the series against Australia last year. There are also indications of this being on the slower side that could nullify the Bazball to an extent.

However, what is guaranteed is there are enough patches, especially on the good length area on either side of the stumps that suggests the spinners would come into play early on. In essence, what is on offer is a designer track that one normally expects in these parts, more so after the WTC came into picture.

Kuldeep, third spinner?

While England have finalised their XI and have revealed it, India too have locked theirs, but haven’t made it public. The only deliberation was around the third spinner’s slot, especially given how much Kuldeep Yadav has evolved as a bowler over the past 12 months. Against an opposition that can go into an all out attack mode against the spinners, skipper Rohit Sharma said how Kuldeep brings an X-factor, especially in conditions like this.

“Kuldeep gives you a certain X-factor with his bowling. You’ve seen how well he’s been bowling of late. Especially the wicket, if it has bounce, or if it doesn’t have bounce, Kuldeep becomes a factor in those types of conditions as well because he has got superb variations,” Rohit said.

Bengaluru: India’s Kuldeep Yadav during a practice session ahead of the third T20 cricket match between India and Afghanistan, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024. (PTI Photo/Shailendra Bhojak) (PTI01_16_2024_000392A)

The only reason why Kuldeep hasn’t managed to get as many matches on home soil where the pitches have been helpful to the spinners is, they have Axar Patel to go with R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. Prior to the series, India were tempted to combine Kuldeep with Ashwin and Jadeja, but the unavailability of Virat Kohli and the brittle middle-order means they may have to wait for a bit. It was with this reason in mind that they even made Kuldeep play the opening round of Ranji Trophy before he joined the T20I squad for the series against Afghanistan.

While Axar had exceptional returns when England toured here last, in the last home series against Australia, he didn’t contribute much with the ball and picked up only three wickets in four Tests. Against England’s batting line-up, Kuldeep seemed every bit a tempting prospect, particularly given the numerous variations and tricks he has up his sleeve.

However, the 264 runs Axar scored with the bat against Australia that put him in the top three run-getters in the series, is not something India are keen to overlook in Kohli’s absence. And with all signs pointing to a turner, Axar, like Jadeja would keep both edges interested as England struggled to pick his straighter ones last time.

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“Axar with his all-round ability, giving us that batting depth, the consistency that he has shown playing in these conditions in Test cricket also is an important factor for us. It was a bit of a headache for us to decide who it was going to be. I’m not going to say who it is but it was a challenge for us to make that decision. We know we’ve got quality around our spin-bowling department, which is a good sign. When you’ve got quality around your team, when there’s a headache to make your playing XI, that’s a good sign,” Rohit added.

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