"I think the Pune pitch will take spin from ball one" : Steve Smith

[Kaiser_Soze]

PUNE: Australia captain Steven Smith has dropped a bombshell indicating that the Pune track, the venue of the first Test against India, will be a rank turner where the ball will spin from day one as he has not seen a wicket like this before.

"I think it will take spin from ball one. There are a couple of divots out of the wicket as well," Smith was quoted by the 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

By "divot", Smith termed the track as a piece of turf cut out of the ground by a golf club in making a stroke or by a sports player's boot. It's another way of terming the pitch under-prepared.

"I haven't really seen a wicket like that before a Test match so I think it is going to take a lot of spin and potentially some up and down movement for the fast bowlers as well," Smith told Australian media in a separate media conference.

The Sydney Morning Herald published two close shots of the 22-yard strip showing the cracks that's already started opening.

While the normal accredited media (host or visiting) does not have access to the pitchside -- save the official broadcasters -- the Australian journalists made their way to the restricted area, took photographs of the pitch from various angles.

Smith's observation completely rubbishes the "ball will fly" theory of local curator Pandurang Salgaoncar.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-smith-on-pune-track/articleshow/57295840.cms

 

[Pollack]

Lol. Seriously first match pitch should be a turner and rest of the series the fear of getting a turner would be enough.

 

[imranraf]

What was Smith expecting? All the pitches will be rank turner. They will be mesmerized by Ashwin and Jadeja.

 

[Boi]

This will be fun.

 

[ShoonyaSifar]

Awesome. Enough of batting wickets. Let's have 4 proper turning tracks , maybe Dharamshala as exception given the cooler weather and harder wicket.

 

[Hasan123]

If that is the case your team will fall like a pack of cards

 

[Sachin136]

 

[Ellipsism]

Talk is Australia may opt to play three spinners.

 

[aloo paratha]

Want to see Aussies get wrecked!

 

[GrandMaster]

lol... Smith's first excuse, even before the match started. So what if it's a rank turner? Even Australia doctors the pitches for their pacemen. Australia should pray that they don't get pitches like what SA got when they visited India last year.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

lol... Smith's first excuse, even before the match started. So what if it's a rank turner? Even Australia doctors the pitches for their pacemen. Australia should pray that they don't get pitches like what SA got when they visited India last year.

How is it an excuse? He was probably asked how he thought the pitch would play

 

[English August]

Nice ploy, Steve. Now if you lose, you can blame the pitch. If you win, you can go around bragging that your newbie spinners overcame the strong Indian batting lineup and the spinning track designed to help the home team.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

How is it an excuse? He was probably asked how he thought the pitch would play

When he makes statements like these:

"I haven't really seen a wicket like that before a Test match so I think it is going to take a lot of spin and potentially some up and down movement for the fast bowlers as well," Smith told Australian media in a separate media conference.

And he played in Delhi 2013 which was a certified rank turner. Chennai track in that series was dusty too.

Whether this is an excuse or not, it does come across as an odd comment to make.

 

[Syed1]

Nice ploy, Steve. Now if you lose, you can blame the pitch. If you win, you can go around bragging that your newbie spinners overcame the strong Indian batting lineup and the spinning track designed to help the home team.

And what excuse will India have if they manage to lose at home on a rank turner pitch that they specially produced to make the likes of Ashwin look like ATG?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

If its a raging turner, this O Keefe guy could be the dark horse.

Flat, tight, spin some, make some go straight is always dangerous for the batsmen.

I haven't seen him bowl but heard lots about him. He averages 23 in Aussie domestics so he must know a thing or two on how to get wickets.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I rate Smith very highly as a player of spin.
Wont be surprised if he scores big.

 

[Justcrazy]

There is no surprise , it was expected .

 

[Zohaib Shah]

Smith will score a tripple ton on these wickets.

 

[Kaiser_Soze]

"I've never seen a pitch like this in India. I've seen turning tracks, but [never like this]," says Ravi Shastri at the pitch report.