India faces intriguing pitch dilemma with record crowd expected for series finale in Ahmedabad

The BCCI is facing an intriguing dilemma ahead of the fourth Test between India and Australia in Ahmedabad, with uncertainty surrounding which pitch will be used for the series finale.

The third Test in Indore wrapped up in less than seven sessions, with the tourists claiming a nine-wicket victory over India on a raging turner, later deemed “poor” by match referee Chris Broad. Australian spinner Nathan Lyon snared 11 cheap wickets while neither side reached 200 on the bowler-friendly wicket.

It has been over a decade since India failed to win a home Test series — with the series poised at 2-1, Australia has an opportunity to break that streak in Ahmedabad this week.

Narendra Modi Stadium, the world’s largest cricket stadium, has hosted two Test matches since its AU$145 million renovation, both against England in 2021, the first of which wrapped up in under two days. India’s spinners wreaked havoc, with Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel claiming 35 of the 40 wickets that fell as England was rolled for 112 and 81. Former England captain Joe Root took 5-8 with his part-time off-spin.

Since the start of 2013, spinners have taken 48 Test wickets at 14.64 in Ahmedabad, while quicks have contributed just 11 scalps at 30.63.

However, the most recent Ranji Trophy match at the venue was dominated by batters, with Railways scoring 508 in the first innings and winning the toss.

Last week, Indian captain Rohit Sharma hinted the Ahmedabad pitch could be a green seamer to help preparations ahead of the World Test Championship Final London — but following Australia’s thumping victory in Indore, India may consider playing it safe and preparing a deck that assists their world-class spinners.

India, who need nothing less than a victory in Ahmedabad to secure their spot in the World Test Championship final, are therefore faced with a pitch dilemma — a raging turner would aid Lyon and his spinning comrades, while a flat deck would give Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne an opportunity to shine.

On Tuesday, two separate wickets were covered at Narendra Modi Stadium, suggesting the curators were yet to decide which pitch would be used for the Test match. Australia’s players couldn’t identify which deck they’d be competing on in 48 hours’ time.

According to a local report, the Gujarat Cricket Association is still awaiting instruction from the BCCI on what sort of pitch to prepare.

“We haven’t received any instructions from the Indian team management and our local curators are preparing a normal track, as we have always done through the season,” a state association source told PTI.

“Obviously, (over the) last few days the BCCI’s grounds and pitches committee instruct the local curator … but, certainly, from our end, our endeavour is to produce a good Test match pitch.”

Pending the conditions, Australia could be temped to pick an additional pace bowler for the series finale in the Gujarat capital.

Narendra Modi Stadium, renamed after the Indian Prime Minister two years ago, seats approximately 132,000, making it one-third larger than the MCG.

The Ahmedabad Test is at risk of being overshadowed by political theatrics — Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will attend day one of the fixture, participating in an opening ceremony before the first ball.

According to local reports, about 85,000 seats for day one of the Test have been reserved for students and families in honour of Modi’s visit, while a large portion of the venue will be empty due to security protocols. Who says politics should stay out of sport?

Australian cricket fans touring India initially struggled to book tickets for the first day of the Test, but a small number of seats were thankfully made available over the weekend.

An estimated 110,000 people could pack into Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, meaning the MCG’s record for biggest attendance at a single day of Test cricket is under threat — 91,112 witnessed day one of the 2013 Boxing Day Ashes Test.

Modi and Albanese are expected to watch the first hour of play before leaving for other commitments, and most of the 85,000 “VIPs” are expected to follow suit. It could create a bizarre scenario where the venue is packed for the first ball but nearly empty during the final session.

“I think we are expecting a big (crowd), at least on the first day, and the talk has been excitement around actually playing a Test in front of that, then actually just the logistics of it on the field – how you deal with reviews, referrals, all that sort of stuff, because the noise will play a huge part in that,” Australian spin coach Daniel Vettori said.

“Guys will be trying to be as pragmatic as possible around how it’s actually going to play out, as well as being pretty excited about the size of the crowd.”

The fourth Test between India and Australia gets underway at Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday, with the first ball scheduled for 3pm AEDT.