The pitch at the PCA stadium in Mohali has traditionally been a bouncy one but the pitch is expected to be a lot slower when it is used for the first cricket Test between India and Australia.
Curator Daljit Singh, who knows the Mohali pitch like the back of his hand, was forthright in his assessment of the strip on Wednesday.
"Due to heavy rainfall in North India this time, the surface didn't get enough time to bind. Also, before any international match, quite a few practice matches are organised in order to get an assessment of the pitch. That wasn't possible due to the heavy downpour. So the wicket will be on the slower side," Daljit said.
"One shouldn't expect steep bounce on this pitch. However, with time, the bounce and carry will get better during the World Cup as lot of matches will be played before that," the curator explained.
Over the years, the PCA track has undergone a lot of transformation.
While the batsmen have enjoyed playing on this track, the last time India and Australia played a Test match at this venue, Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma got the ball to reverse swing a lot, causing extensive damage to opposition.
The Australian coach Tim Nielsen agreed that there won't be considerable bounce which is a trademark of the Mohali pitch.
"It won't be as fast as the wickets you find in Mohali. This strip has a lot of moisture underneath the surface. There is an even cover of grass but we hope that it will be done away within the next 24 hours," Nielsen said when asked about his take on the pitch.
