Setback for Ashwin, Nagpur pitch to favour seamers

Nagpur: As India begin their ICC World T20 campaign against New Zealand in the opening Super 10 Group encounter, here on Tuesday, a lot of eyeballs will be on the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) pitch.

ICC World Twenty20: Insight on Nagpur pitch revealed

The 22-yard strip used during the third India-South Africa Test in December last year was the centre of attraction and was deemed ‘poor’ by ICC match referee Jeff Crowe.

However, this time around the ICC has issued strict directives to make the pitch a batting-friendly wicket.

"We are preparing and following instructions of the ICC. Twenty20 games are only for batsmen. It’s going to be a batsmen-friendly wicket and the pitch will help seamers and not spinners, maybe just minimum help to the tweakers. The pitch has been designed for a high-scoring game,” Amar Karlekar, the VCA pitch curator, who has been in the business of making pitches for the past 20 years, told this correspondent.

Karlekar also pointed out that nature of the pitch won’t change during the course of the match and due factor too won't come into play. He also agreed that it would be a huge setback for Indian spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.

It’s a T20 game. It will last for just over three hours. I don’t think the nature will change. However, the team that wins the toss should bat first. If India is bowling then Ashwin should bowl in the second half. All matches that have been played here before, the teams who batted first have got more benefit,” he said.

India are placed alongside Australia, Pakistan and latest qualifiers Bangladesh, who made it to the next round after a stunning unbeaten knock 63-ball 103 runs from Tamim Iqbal.