 The
Green Park Stadium Kanpur is the venue of the second test match between
India and Sri Lanka. It is also a venue which has had a lot of talk surrounding
it in the recent past, especially after the first game of the series in Ahmedabad
had ended in a high-scoring draw, with only 21 wickets falling in the five days
of cricket.
The last time a test match was played here, it had been in the news for all
the wrong reasons. The pitch had begun to turn from the very first day, and
by the third day the game was all over. However, it must be added that in that
game South Africa had batted first and scored a reasonable 260-odd before capitulating
in the second essay to some good spin bowling. It has been said that the groundsman
had stopped watering the pitch three days before the game begun - normally it
is one day before - and this allowed the surface to be bone dry from the very
start.
The ICC had demanded an explanation from the BCCI regarding the sub-standard
nature of the pitch, and since then, there had been a speculation about the
future of this ground. Earlier, India had beaten South Africa in 1996-97
at the same venue by a whopping margin of 280 runs, as South Africa had failed
to chase down a total in excess of 400 in the final innings.
For now though, the venue retains its position as one of the test hosting venues.
However, for that to continue, the track will need to be much more sporting
than the one last year, or even better than one at Ahmedabad in the first game.
The curator for the game, Shiv Kumar, said, "It would not be a
dry wicket like last time. Instructions have been given to us for the Test to
last all five days." He also added, "The pitch has been fine tuned
a lot. It would be a batting pitch but the bowlers will have an even hand from
the third day."
He also said that the track which had attracted a lot of eyes last year has
been relaid and for now, is not in the condition to play cricket on. It will
require another one year to get going on that particular pitch.
Even the head curator, Daljit Singh, has said that the pitch will be
a sporting one, and the combination of two fast bowlers and two spinners will
work well for the sides.
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