Ranchi pitch to favor Ravindra Jadeja and Ravi Ashwin

After the Pune pitch fiasco, Bengaluru wicket was rated as ‘below average’ by the ICC match referee Chris Broad. Leading into the 3rd and probably the most crucial Test match all the attention is once again on the Ranchi pitch as the penultimate Test of this brilliantly fought Test series is just 2 days away.

The curator of the JCA International Stadium, Ranchi SB Singh is the one person you want to talk of when it comes to discussing about pitches. Singh who is also pursuing a doctorate in pitch behavior talked about Dhoni’s visit to the stadium prior to the first Test. He rubbished the reports of Dhoni inspecting the pitch and said that the former Indian skipper regularly visits the ground. He is there most of the times to play snooker or at the gym.

Unlike other venues, Ranchi has three pitches ready for the Test match. And talking about the three pitches, Singh was in the news for wrong reasons as he misinterpreted the ‘officials’ as ‘team’ in his statement. He said, “The team will choose the strip two days before the match. The pitch will suit both the batsmen and bowlers and will definitely last five days.”

Singh said that the reason for preparing three pitches is if one deteriorates faster and becomes unplayable then there are other two pitches ready as well. He also used the term ‘stepney’ wicket which literally means a spare wicket.

The inspiration behind these three pitches is Feroz Shah Kotla incident where the match between India and Sri Lanka in 2009 had to be called off due to a bad pitch.

Ranchi surface would be slow and will definitely keep low just like the one at Pune but due to cooler conditions, it will not wear off quickly. The cracks will take time to open. The black soil used will play a major role according to SB Singh. He also believes that the pitch will surely last for five days.

Bengaluru saw uneven bounce which favored Indian pacers Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav who banked on it. This pitch is likely to favor the spin twin of Jadeja and Ashwin who were the stars of the Bangalore win.