Pitches for India’s world cup games: Sluggish pitch for Australia, flat track for Pakan, spin-friendly against England

Nine venues and as many opponents, India will do the most of the travelling during the World Cup on home soil this October-November, covering nearly 10,000 km (9,700 km to be precise) in search of their third title in the 50-over format. With the full schedule finally out in the light, here is a look at five of the key fixtures for India in the tournament…
India vs Australia @ Chennai | October 8, 2 PM
The MA Chidambaram Stadium is currently providing finishing touches, with new LED lights being installed in the light towers. The TNCA has also dug up the square to inject two red soil pitches at either side. The second oldest stadium in India, the hosts have played 14 matches since 1987 and have won half of those, with four of those coming in the last decade. India are yet to touch a total of 300 at the venue, which tells you the sort of pitch they can expect here. India played here earlier this year, losing to Australia, so they should know what to expect in terms of conditions. Since it is early October, dew may not have a big impact on the game. Teams usually have preferred to bat first here, as it has a tendency to slow down.

India vs Pakan @ Ahmedabad | October 15, 2 PM
1,30,000 capacity for a high-profile game involving these two arch-rivals will bring the sub-continent to a stand-still. It was renamed as Narendra Modi Stadium in 2021 and has been hosting ODIs since 1984, with the hosts winning 10 of the 18 matches they have played here. The large outfield means spinners will enjoy bowling here, but with different pitches on offer, it remains to be seen what they would pick for this context. India has preferred playing on black soil pitches on home soil, which offer low bounce and slowness. Like most of the old venues in India, Ahmedabad has traditionally not seen very big totals being scored except for the odd instances. Since the stadium was opened post reconstruction, the hosts have played a lot of matches here across all formats, and will know the conditions better than anyone else. With bowling being Pakan’s strongest suit, going with a flat deck may not be a bad option for Rohit Sharma’s men.
India vs New Zealand @ Dharamshala | October 22, 2 PM
This could potentially be a tricky fixture for India, given the conditions as the Black Caps could end up being more at home. The picturesque venue, which lies at 1317m above the sea level, has on offer one of the bounciest and quickest pitches in India. So to play the Kiwis, who have a lethal pace attack and a team that India considers a thorn in the flesh will be a challenging task. One of the new venues in India, it has hosted only four ODIs so far and the hosts have won two of those. The afternoon start offers some relief for the batsmen, but with clouds hovering around, it will always be a venue where the think-tank has to be flexible with its approach. If the sun is out, batsmen can make merry as the ball travels long thanks to the high altitude. Under lights if the cold weather sets in, it could be challenging for the team bowling second with dew around. The square and the outfield has been relaid recently, and India haven’t played an ODI fixture since 2017. They would be hoping to play one against Australia or Afghanan before the World Cup to get a hang of it.
India vs England @ Lucknow | October 29, 2 PM
After providing sluggish pitches during the IPL, the UPCA has relaid the square at the Ekana Stadium, another one of the new venues that gets a big ticket game involving the hosts and the defending champions. The hosts are yet to play a full 50-over fixture. The only time they featured in an ODI against South Africa, rain reduced it into a 40-over contest, which they lost. So in terms of the conditions, India won’t know what to expect. To relay a pitch this close to the World Cup is a big risk, but one that has been deemed a necessity. Afghanan used it as their home venue, playing three ODIs against the West Indies, and all of it remained low-scoring with a total of 250 being crossed only once. The black soil content means it is a venue where the spinners and taking pace off the ball will hold key. This being the early part of the winter, one has to wait and see what sort of an effect dew has on this pitch. India have picked the right team to play here as they hope their spinners can pin down the English, who can make merry on flat decks.

India vs South Africa @ Kolkata | November 5, 2 PM
The iconic venue, which missed out on hosting an India fixture during the 2011 World Cup, will welcome South Africa back to the place where they played their first match since readmission in 1991. Kolkata, easily has one of the most passionate fans, so this would be a cordon of sorts for the big day in November. The hosts have played 22 ODIs here and have won 13 of those. And since the onset of the millennium, in the 14 matches at the Eden Gardens, only five teams have won while chasing. From March 20, 2011 to September 2017, teams batting first won on six successive matches, as it has always had a hory of getting slower under lights. In recent years, from being a slow-spinning surface, it has turned into a one that asss seamers. So South Africa may not be fretting too much over playing the hosts here. Since it is India’s penultimate league fixture, they would know then where they stand in terms of semifinals qualification. Dew could definitely be a factor here.