It is common to inspect the pitch before a match but it is somewhat unusual to take photographs of the pitch, which may have been taken in the dressing room for discussion and strategising. The same happened this morning when Australian captain Pat Cummins came to see the pitch being used for the World Cup final against India. Australian players had doubts about the pitch before the big match. When asked which pitch was used for the match between India and Pakistan, Cummins said, ‘I have just seen the pitch.’ When asked how the pitch looked, he said, ‘I don’t understand the pitch very well, but it looks very difficult. They have sprinkled water on it. So yes, we will look at it again after 24 hours, but it looks like a very good wicket.” He said, ‘I think Pakistan played here.’ Cummins did not name India.
Australia trained in the afternoon session, but Cummins was at the Narendra Modi Stadium at 9.30. He went to the square and started taking photographs of the pitch, presumably to see how the pitch would change from Saturday morning to evening and how much it would change by the afternoon of the match. In fact, Steve Smith, Travis Head, head coach Andrew MacDonald also wanted to have a closer look at the pitch before the start of Australia’s training session. Head is a good off-spinner and tried to see the hardness of the pitch.
Some of the balls on the Eden Gardens pitch were heading towards the right corner and Cummins believes it will not be the same as the Motera pitch. A very heavy roller has been used to slow down the black clay pitch. Due to this, if the opposition team has two spinners, it will be difficult to bat in floodlights.
He said, ‘There have been huge scores throughout the tournament. This will definitely happen for both teams. There is no doubt that you are playing on your country’s wicket, which gives you some advantage because you have been playing on such a wicket all your life. International Cricket Council pitch consultant Andy Atkinson was present for an hour and BCCI curators inspected the pitch on the final day before handing over to match referee Andy Pycroft.
‘I think the biggest difference is going to be made by the mist,’ Cummins said. This city and stadium get more fog than any other place. So maybe yes, we have to think about it before tomorrow’s match. If Australia bat in the second innings, Cummins hinted that there may be some changes in the batting order in view of the possibility of fog. “It will be easier to bat during the day than in the evening, but in the second innings it may fall in the last part of the match, so we have to think about it,” he said.