Wankhede pitch will start turning from the third day, says curator

Wankhede pitch will start turning from the third day, says curator

Having lost two Tests on the trot, England's travails on the ongoing India tour may continue in `City of Dreams.' Ramesh Mamunkar, the curator at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, which will stage the fourth Test between India and England from Thursday, has already started shaving the grass and reducing watering the pitch - the two factors which contribute to the making of a turning pitch.

"It should turn from second day evening, or at least by the third day . There's heavy dew these days, so we're watering the pitch less. We've cut the grass a bit too, so that the wicket bears a fresh look for the Test," Mamunkar told TOI on Sunday, while denying that he had received any instructions from the Indian team about preparing a spin-friendly pitch. Already up 2-0, India have a chance to seal the series here before the final Test in Chennai.

Since it was re-launched in 2011 after undergoing complete renovation, Wankhede has hosted three Tests. Two of them provided a result, while the third ended in a thrilling draw. The last Test here in 2013 was Sachin Tendulkar's farewell game, against the West Indies. On that occasion, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha took 10 wickets to script a crushing innings victory inside three days for India.

Since then, though, the Wankhede pitch has acquired a notorious reputation for being too flat -possibly the best batting pitch in the country , where the ball comes onto the bat nicely, and the bowler is reduced to being a spectator. The pitch ignited a controversy last year when the then India team director Ravi Shastri got into an altercation with then curator Sudhir Naik after South Africa made merry in the deciding fifth ODI. The visitors made a record 438 for four and went on to clinch the series.

"We've done the entire season's fielding in just one game," complained an Uttar Pradesh player, after Mumbai made 610 for nine in a Ranji game here last season. UP replied with 440. The first Ranji game this season saw two triple hundreds, by Maharashtra's Swapnil Gugale (351 not out) and then Delhi's Rishabh Pant (308 not out).Maharashtra made 635 for two declared, in reply to which Delhi got to 590. The last match here, though, produced a result as Andhra beat Haryana by 77 runs. Mamunkar blamed an unusually long monsoon season in Mumbai for the Wankhede pitch being too flat during the Delhi-Maha rashtra game. While Naik no more tends to the wicket, Mamunkar, who has assisted the former India opener for the past four years, is now the sole caretaker of the turf. "We make batsman-friendly pitches for ODI and T20 games, but it'll obviously be different for a Test. It'll be a sporting, fair pitch, with good `carry .' The ball will move here on the first day , as it always does here. The second day will be good for batting, before the spinners come into the picture," he recalled.

Traditionally, the red soil at the Wankhede helps spinners, particularly left-arm spinners, which means Ravindra Jadeja may become a huge factor. Previously, Murali Kartik and Pragyan Ojha have excelled at Wankhede. In 2012, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann took 19 of the 20 Indian wickets to fall as India's plans of making a turner backfired sensationally.