IND vs ENG: All you need to know about the Test series venues
After breaching ‘The Gabba’ and rewriting the history on the Australian soil, India is now all set to lock horns against England at home. England’s full-fledged tour of India comprises first of a four-match Test series and then followed by a realm of limited-overs cricket (5 T20Is and 3 ODIs).
Out of the four Test matches being played, the first two will be held at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. And the other two Test matches which include the third Test match as a Day/Night fixture will be held at the newly built Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Now with the suspension of Australia’s tour of South Africa and with New Zealand certainly being the first team to qualify for the World Test Championship final, the India-England series can eventually decide the team for the finale of WTC. Let us know more about the venues which will host the Test series.
The first two Tests at the Chepauk
The MA Chidambaram Stadium can be a daunting ground for any non-Asian team to start mainly because of its reputation of being a profuse turning track. In England’s case, the visitors have played a total of 9 Tests against India at the Chepauk and have won twice. The hosts carry a tally of six wins alongside a draw result in one of the Test matches.
In terms of the pitch for the first two Tests, TNCA’s newly recruited curator V Ramesh Kumar is the man responsible for holding the scripts. Both the Tests matches will witness different soil profiles with one being purely red soil and the other carrying the proportions of the black clay above the red soil. All in all, the pitches will be expected to exhibit a balanced contest between bat and bowl alongside some wear and tear establishing from the second half of Day 3.
A total of 32 Tests have been played here and 12 have ended in a draw. The first innings score here is 337 and the scores gradually go down as the match progresses. The fourth innings average score here reads 157 which proves that toss will be crucial for both India and England.
The last two Tests at the new Motera Stadium
The new Motera stadium will unveil itself for international cricket by hosting the remainder of the Test series. By probably exhibiting all the world-class amenities in today’s times, the stadium would also earmark itself as the most lavish cricket ground present in the country.
In terms of its pitch profile, the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) had announced that the new stadium will have a mix of three kinds of pitches. Both red and black soil will be used for the preparation of the 11 pitches and will be sourced from different parts of the country. The recent edition of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy was played here.
Before this tour only twice these two teams have played Test cricket at the old Motera stadium. The first Test was played in the 2001-02 tour which had ended in a draw. The second Test was played in the 2012-13 series where India fetched a convincing win by 9 wickets.
