Last Updated on 3 weeks by Charbel Coorey
India’s Test season begins with a two-match series against the West Indies, starting on Thursday October 2. The visitors face a tall order, but the pitch conditions in Ahmedabad could suit their fast bowlers although the absence of Shamar and Alzarri Joseph due to injury is a huge blow.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the surface had a lush, even covering of grass two days out from the first Test. Here is a look at the Ahmedabad pitch report for this match, plus some recent results in Tests at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Ahmedabad pitch report: IND vs WI Test set to be played on pacer-friendly surface
The aforementioned publication states that 4-5mm of grass could remain on the pitch. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the recent rain in Ahmedabad has kept the surface under cover for most of Sunday and Monday. Second, the pitch used for this Test is a red-soil strip. Without grass, these tracks tend to crumble very quickly, which can bring the two spin attacks closer together.
There is the possibility the Ahmedabad surface could play similarly to Bengaluru in the India-New Zealand series last year. The Black Caps rolled the hosts for just 46 on a track that left the Indian batsman surprised by the amount of bounce.
Ahmedabad can offer up a range of surfaces for Test cricket. The last Test on this ground was between India and Australia in the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which ended in a drab draw on a flat pitch. Two years earlier, England were beaten inside two days on a sharp turner.
The captain who wins the toss this time will almost certainly bowl first. In addition to the green track, overcast conditions are forecast on day one, which will further assist the fast bowlers.
Winning the toss could be particularly important for the West Indies who need as much assistance as possible with Shamar and Alzarri Joseph ruled out through injury. Also, their batting was completely dismantled in their last Test, crumbling to 27 all-out against Australia in Jamaica.
For India, a number of their players – especially the fast bowlers – are coming off very recent assignments. Jasprit Bumrah won the Asia Cup as recently as Sunday in Dubai. Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna played for India A in the second unofficial Test against Australia A which ended on September 26. Nitish Kumar Reddy is the other seamer in the squad.
India have not lost any Test against West Indies since 2002. At home, this stretches back to 1994. If the Windies break the drought here, it will go down as one of the great upsets in Test cricket.
