PTI
New Delhi, Sept 15: It will be a tricky test for New Zealand as they are unlikely to get much batting practice on a pacer friendly Feroz Shah Kotla track when they face Mumbai in their only warm-up match of the tour, starting here Friday.
Going by the nature of the pitch on eve of the three-day game, senior player Ross Taylor said he was not expecting the ball to turn much at Kotla, but was aware it won’t be the case in the three-Test series, starting at Kanpur, September 22.
“Well, it is part and parcel of the way Test cricket is being played. It is no different when you come to New Zealand. We leave a little more grass on the wicket. I guess that is what home advantage is all about. We are expecting the wickets to turn over here. We are not expecting the wickets to be like this one here at Kotla. We are expecting it turn for the Test matches,” Taylor said referring to the Kotla wicket, which is a fresh one with a bit of grass on it.
Such has been the focus on spin for New Zealand that their spinners Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner and Mark Craig had a long session while the batsmen created rough spots on practice pitches to get used to the sharp turn.
Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, playing against a Test team will be an ideal start to their domestic campaign with the matches now being played on neutral venues. Rohit Sharma, who was part of the Duleep Trophy final, will also be playing the game against the Kiwis.
