Published 19:26 IST, February 22nd 2021
Graham Thorpe opens up on why fielders might have tough time in citing pink-ball at Motera
Graham Thorpe has said that the colored seating at the newly-built Motera Stadium could make the job of the fielders a little bit harder in upcoming D/N Test
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England assistant batting coach Graham Thorpe has said that the coloured seating at the newly-built Motera Stadium could make the job of the fielders a little bit harder in terms of citing the pink ball in the day-night Test that will be played on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, this will be the second Test match to be contested under lights in India after the iconic Eden Gardens had the privilege to host the first one. While Team India will be featuring in their third Day-Night Test, England will be playing their fourth.
'Little harder for the fielders': Graham Thorpe
"The side screens are in place, so hopefully, in terms of coming out of the seats, the seating has a certain coloring, so it can be a little harder for the fielders, we have to see how it plays out," said Thorpe while replying to an ANI query during a virtual press conference on Monday.
"Half-day and half-night. We have had our practice sessions, we had one in the evening and we had one in the afternoon. The challenge of facing the pink-ball in changing conditions, we will have to adapt to. It is an unknown quantity, pink ball does a little more in the evening as compared to the afternoon, we will have to take a look at the pitch as well when it comes to tackling spinners during the day-time," the former middle-order batsman added.
Who will gain the upper hand in Ahmedabad Test?
After a humiliating 227-run loss in the first Test at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, a spirited Indian team ended up registering an emphatic win by a mammoth 317 runs at the same venue to level the four-match series 1-1.
What is at stake for both sides?
If India win the ongoing series by at least a margin of 2-1, then the side would qualify for the finals of the ICC World Test Championship. If the Virat Kohli-led side does succeed in getting the job done, then they would earn the right to face New Zealand in the ICC World Test Championship final that will be contested from June 18-22 at the 'Mecca of Cricket' Lord's.
As of now, Kohli & Co. occupy the second spot in the ICC World Test Championship points table.
However, India who currently have 69.7 percentage points cannot afford another loss in this series. England, who led the table after winning the opening Test, has slipped to the fourth spot with 67.0 percentage points. They can still qualify provided they win both remaining matches of the ongoing series.
19:26 IST, February 22nd 2021