CHENNAI: India’s T20 series against West Indies is done and dusted but the Indian batsmen would be keen to build on the momentum in the third match here on Sunday. And much to their liking, the Chepauk track promises to be a belter where the batsmen can score freely.
The 22-yard strip looked a typical Chennai wicket, hard and dry and full of runs. Even though it’s monsoon in Chennai, it hasn’t rained much in the last few days. With no showers forecast in the next three days, the pitch is expected to become drier and will assist the Indian spinners
Kuldeep Yadav and
Krunal Pandya. “The track will behave true and both the Indian and West Indies batsmen can score big if they apply themselves,” an official said.
India’s tour in Australia starts with the T20 series in Brisbane on November 21 and Rohit Sharma’s boys can treat the Chepauk game like a last practice match before that series. There’s a chance that they will test several fringe players like Washington Sundar and
Shreyas Iyer who haven’t got a chance yet. It will also provide a platform for players like
Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan to convert their starts.
The Indian players, though, will arrive only on the eve of the match. “They have defeated West Indies in Test, ODI and T20 series. So they are enjoying a well-deserved Diwali break. They will be here only on Saturday,” he said. West Indies, meanwhile, will resume practice from Friday.
Ticket sale not ‘according to expectations’:With India already sealing the series, Chepauk, which has a capacity of 24,000, might not see a full house. The fact that India will be without
Virat Kohli and Chepauk’s favourite son Mahendra Singh Dhoni won’t help matters. “The ticket sales haven’t gone according to expectations. Only tickets priced Rs 1200 and Rs 2400 for stands C, D, E are sold out so far. Still there are two more days to go and we expect it to get better,” the official said.