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Journalism of Courage
is not just the Englishmen that will be kept waiting for turners this season. Not picking too many specialist spinners,doling out green tracks in practice games before rolling out turners in the Tests,the BCCI didnt spare a trick in unsettling the visiting England team. However,Indian players themselves,struggling for form and looking for match practice in first round of Ranji Trophy,will be forced to play on equally spicy wickets according to BCCIs earlier directive.
While the decision to play the practice games on seaming tracks is seen as a short term measure to keep the visitors from gaining too much experience on dry turners before the Tests,Indias recent poor form overseas had compelled the selectors,according to sources,to direct state associations to prepare greener tracks for Ranji and all age category games.
Playing on these tracks is expected to get the batsmen to pay better attention to their technique and help them cope with challenges overseas.
Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya was in favour of the directive,saying that playing on greenish tracks ahead of the Tests will not affect the Indians too much.
Indians can play spin any time,so its not going to hit them hard like it would,the English team. We have to play their pacers,so preparing on tracks that assist seamers will in turn help us more, he says.
So,even as Test regulars and aspirants will be facing James Anderson and Co. on a spicy wicket in Mumbai during the second practice game,the likes of Suresh Raina will be tested by Ishant Sharma,Ashish Nehra and Parwinder Awana when Uttar Pradesh takes on Delhi in their Ranji opener. The other side of the battle will have a star-studded Delhi batting side,comprising Virender Sehwag,Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli conteding with Praveen Kumar and Sudeep Tyagi on a track that is expected to afford pace and movement.
Elsewhere,at the PCA stadium in Mohali too,where Yuvraj Singh will turn out for Punjab against Hyderabad,the pitch has a good tinge of grass on it.
Ashish Winston Zaidi,the UP manager and former seamer,believes that his attack will give Indias opening pair a good work-out. PK is bowling so well that he will surely trouble the top batsmen on this pitch, he says.
Meanwhile,Dahiya believes the nature of the track and where certain batsmen play Sehwag is still undecided where in the batting order he will appear will be secondary to the teams consideration.
Given Sehwags experience and maturity,I will rather leave the decision to him where he wants to bat and what he wants to get out of the game, says Dahiya. Its not about certain individuals or how they will benefit from the games,its more about the team.
