'India can take early return flight' - Twitter reacts as BCCI shares 'spot the pitch' picture for 2nd Test

As soon as a green top is thrown at them in overseas conditions, the Indian batsmen have been found wanting. It was the case when they toured South Africa and England in 2018. And it was no different when they faced New Zealand in the first Test in Wellington. Playing in congenital conditions in the last twelve months or so, Team India has tasted a lot of success. But the pitch in Christchurch, as shared by the BCCI’s social media handles, is sure to throw an even tougher challenge at them.

The deck that will be used for the second and the final Test in this series has been all spiced up with a lot of grass. If anything, that would mean a lot more swing for the bowlers and testing times ahead for the Indian batsmen. With most of them tried and tested around the off-stump corridor, it will require a lot of discipline and patience if they are to perform better. ‘Spot the pitch,’ wrote BCCI in the picture that it shared of the stadium.

A possibility of playing an extra pacer in the eleven?

However, this Indian team will not be as surprised by this pitch as some of the touring teams in the past. This Indian squad has got an excellent pace battery. The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav know how to excel in conditions like this. When South Africa tried something of this sorts in Johannesburg, their plans backfired. Thus, this side doesn’t need to be too worried and should apply itself better.

Also, the Indian pacers by now might have worked on the fact that they weren’t able to extract as much swing as the New Zealand bowlers. They would be looking to make necessary amends in the upcoming game. As far as the batting is concerned, just two batsmen – Mayank Agarwal and Ajinkya Rahane looked good in the first game.

The likes of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara need to step up. Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari also need to work on a few weaknesses. There could be an additional pacer in the line-up for this match. Ravichandran Ashwin might be benched. Vihari could be used as the off-spinner.

Here’s how Twitter reacted