According to officials of the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA), a sporting wicket awaits both teams for the first ODI at Pune. The pitch remained under constant scrutiny on the eve of the game and after interacting with the curator, it has been found out that a batsman friendly wicket is in store for the first ODI between India and England on January 15.
The strip at Pune was in the news recently as all Ranji Trophy games played there were assisted bowlers a lot. However, officials from the ground ensured that no such worry would surround the first ODI of the series and in all, a decent wicket is expected.
“It will be a spectator-oriented wicket. We have to keep fans in mind as they like to see runs being scored,” a ground official was quoted saying about the expected nature of the pitch.
In a pre-game press conference, former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni addressed the media and backed Virat Kohli’s young team to achieve massive success. “Though they are young, they have played a lot of cricket both in India and outside, and in pressure situations,” Dhoni said. “They have played in knockout tournaments – when it comes to the ODI and the T20 formats – and they have played under pressure. We’ve played a lot of Tests in India but they were not easy Test matches – we played on a lot of turning wickets where the lower order’s contribution was very important.
“The whole pool of players seems to be one that will play cricket in the right spirit, the way it is supposed to be. I think they will do something very special in the coming years. Of course, the period will be slightly longer because they will be together for a long period. So, hopefully, with no injuries or serious problems to the core members of the group, they will do very well,” Dhoni concluded.