Pitch beckons strokeplayers from both sides

What does that leave for the bowlers then? “Towards the evening, it’s definitely going to seam about as it will be cooler then. There will be something for the bowlers willing to put in some effort. But by and large, they will have to be very consistent. The margin of error will be negligible,” Daljit, who is also a member of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Pitch Committee, adds.

The ground presents a table-top look with its lush green outfield. “We have been working on this for quite a while now. We have used Moratta Potash (special urea) which will not only give the grass a greener look but make it fertile as well. The sprinkling of water too is going on and we will continue with it till the eve of the match, `’ Daljit, says.

This will be the seventh One-Day International, apart from two Tests, to be played at the PCA Stadium ever since it first hosted the Hero Cup match between India and South Africa in `93. Since then this pitch has refused to leave the headlines _ for whatever reasons. It came in for praise for its sporting behaviour from the Australian and the West Indian sides after the `96 World Cup semifinal, as also from Pakistan, Sri Lanka and New Zealand who played two matches in the `97 Independence Cup here but the Indians have ever been complaining. Azhar was furious after India lost the `94 Test to West Indies, citing the `bounce and pace’ of the pitch as a reason and, again, journalists covering the last year’s Coca Cola match between India and Bangladesh still remember a fuming Azhar in the post-match press conference.

“We have played three matches on this pitch to test its behaviour and everybody seemed happy,” Daljit says.

A couple of new innovations are also lined up for the match. There will be no boundary rope and for the first time in India, batsmen would need to strike the wall (all around the ground) for a boundary. Also, it will be a longer boundary than usual. It will be 87 yards on one side and 77 on the other. The straight boundary will be 76 yards. Again, this will be a record of sorts as no other Indian ground has a longer boundary than this.

Since this is going to be an India-Pakistan match, passions are naturally going to be high. Still, Daljit does not forsee a Calcutta Act Two being staged here.