Pitch may change a bit for India-West Indies semi-final

India’s seamers and spinners have shared the spoils taking 12 wickets each in the run up to the semi-final.

India and particularly M.S. Dhoni would prefer a slow-turner than a flat deck which delivered 365 runs in the first match, 459 in the second match and 381 in the third match of the ongoing World T20.

The news on the grapevine is that an India-friendly surface will be rolled out for the ICC World Twenty20 semi-final against the West Indies to be played at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. India’s seamers and spinners have shared the spoils taking 12 wickets each in the run up to the semi-final.

However, India and particularly M.S. Dhoni would prefer a slow-turner than a flat deck which delivered 365 runs in the first match between England and West Indies, 459 in the second match between South Africa and England and 381 in the third match between South Africa and Afghanistan. The West Indies successfully chased England’s 182 in the first match, England did so against South Africa making 230, and Afghanistan gave some anxious moments to South Africa.

The West Indies were clearly in a spot of bother against South Africa on a slow turning track at Nagpur and it suffered a shock defeat against Afghanistan.

The pitch is being prepared by former India opener Sudhir Naik and a qualified BCCI-curator Ramesh Mamunkar. They had prepared a flat deck for the ODI against South Africa, which show 438 runs being made for the loss of four wickets while batting first last October. India lost the match by 214 runs following which Naik and the Indian team director Ravi Shastri were involved in row because the Wankhede curators did not follow the general guideline for a slow turner.

Although the curators may find it difficult to tinker with the wicket because of potential disastrous consequences, it’s a foregone conclusion that attempts would be towards making a surface with sufficient binding and slow in nature which would bring the spinners into the picture.