Bangladesh team baffled by 'new' pitch for India Test

Fatullah, June 9: They might be the hosts but the Bangladeshi cricket team has been left baffled by the pitch for the one-off Test against India with their Sri Lankan coach Chandika Hathurusingha saying that he has never seen a track like the one in Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium here.

10 facts about the match" title="Match Preview; 10 facts about the match" />Match Preview; 10 facts about the match

"The pitch is hard to read because I have never seen a pitch like this before. We have to take the heat into account as well. The wicket is not going to be a fast bowler's paradise, that's what I can tell you," Hathurusingha told reporters ahead of the match starting tomorrow.

"It is new for me. I don't know, may be for other people also. I am also waiting to see how it is going to play out."

Hathurusingha said the home team did not dictate the nature of the pitch as is mostly the norm. "I have no idea to predict this wicket. For the first time, we have no control over what type of wicket this will be. We will try to select the team that gives us best chance to take 20 wickets," he said.

"The wicket here is quite different. We have played first-class matches and some BCL one-day matches here. We have some idea of it.

"We don't usually see grass on Test wickets, but on ODIs and other formats. Whether the grass will hold for five days or how much it will impact on the play, is the question.

"Spinners will have advantage from the first day, and the batsmen are also likely to be at ease here," he added.

Hathurusingha said the grass on the pitch is quite unexpected. "There's a lot of cut grass on the wicket. I don't know how it is going to behave. Either you have a lot of grass on the wicket or no grass on the wicket. It is unusual. They have a bit of cut grass on top of the wicket. I don't know how it is going to work," Hathurusingha said.

"I think it has to do with the heat, to try to keep the moisture longer. Maybe that's the reason they put cut grass on the wicket."

PTI