Curator Narayan Raju on Wednesday predicted an exciting battle in the second cricket Test between India and New Zealand,saying the Chinnaswamy pitch will have to something to offer to both the batsmen and the bowlers. The second and final Test will begin here Friday,with India leading the series 1-0. Raju though said it is necessary that the existing overcast conditions improve,if spectators are to see a good contest. There is a tinge of grass on the wicket. But overcast conditions are prevailing here which will decide the course of the match. If the conditions improve,the spectators can witness an interesting battle between bat and ball, Raju said. Raju said swing bowlers can utilise the overhead conditions to their advantage. Raju also said the ground staff have worked overnight for preparing the pitch for the second Test and brought sand from Andhra Pradesh to give the outfield a fresh feel as the city has been experiencing heavy rain in the last few days. The ground staff has sufficient equipment to save the pitch from the showers and prepare a fine track for the game, Raju said. Clouds favour Us: NZ Undone by spin in the opening match,New Zealands embattled cricket team is hoping that the overcast conditions here would favour its pace bowlers. At the moment the wicket looks nice and has a bit of grass on it,but I expect it to be removed before the Test begins. The overcast weather here looks to be helping us and it might work in our favour, all-rounder Doug Bracewell said. The team which lost inside four days in the opening Test is also taking tips from talismanic skipper Daniel Vettori,who has been ruled out of the series due to injury. We talk to him and he gives his thoughts. That is good for us. We are happy Dan is back into the set up, Kiwi he said. Bracewell said the wicket looked similar to the one given to the visitors in Hyderabad. Replying to a query,Bracewell said it is tough to be down in series but the team should forget about the outcome of the last match and only focus on the positives. Bracewell accepted that his side was suffering from a lack of spinners. There are lack of spinners back home. We dont have plenty of them. However,some young spinners are coming through. That is always good, he added.
