India and England will most likely be playing on a fairly different pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai when the second Test of the four-match series gets underway on Saturday (February 13). England won the first Test by 227 runs but it wasn’t until the fourth day when the red-soil Chepauk pitch started offering sharp turn. However, with India down 0-1 in the four-match series, the hosts would like to play to their strengths in the upcoming matches. It isn’t just a series win that is at stake, it is also a place in the inaugural World Test Championship final that is set to take place at Lord’s later this year.
The pitch for the first Test was made up purely of red soil and there was no disintegration in it until later on in the match. However, the surface for the second Test will have a top layer comprising black cotton soil while the base is made up of red soil.
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Shoudld the playing conditions be dry when the Test match begins, the top layer – made up mostly of black clay – will start to break faster than the pitch where the first Test was played.
England wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who is set to don the big gloves in the second Test against India, has already said that he feels the fresh Chepauk track will keep low and might start offering turn earlier compared to the series opener at the same venue.
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Asked how did the pitch look, Foakes said on Thursday: “It’s different to the last one. It’s a different soil and darker soil. I think it might be quite low and slow. But I haven’t had a lot of experience with wickets but that would be my guess.”
To a query if the pitch would offer turn earlier than usual, he replied: “I found it quite tricky to read the wicket. I found in India obviously that’s (turners) an avenue they would like to go down.
“The last wicket probably played pretty well for about two and half-three days, maybe slightly longer. I guess there is a potential that it would spin earlier (on this track). I wouldn’t like to look too far ahead with that and just look to see what’s given on the day and try and play accordingly,” said the man, who played the last of his five Tests, in 2019.
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The second Test will be played from February 13-17.
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