Slow bowlers haven't found conditions at the Sardar Patel Stadium completely to their liking
India's
first Test at Ahmedabad ended in a
dismal defeat against West Indies in 1983-84, but since then the Indians have had a rather happier time here, winning two and drawing three. New Zealand have only played at this venue only once - in 1999-2000 - in a match which petered into a high-scoring draw.
`Win the toss and bat' has been a mantra which almost all captains have religiously followed here. The only time a captain deviated from that formula was in India's first Test here, when Kapil Dev put West Indies in. Kapil himself had a fabulous match, taking 9 for 83 in the second innings, but India crashed to a 138-run defeat.
The pitch at Motera is often referred to as a spinners' paradise, but stats reveal that the
fast bowlers have actually achieved more success here, taking 82 wickets at 26.72. The spinners have managed 100 wickets here, but they have only come at an average of 31.08. For India, though, spin has been a more effective weapon, though not by much: the spinners have taken 68 wickets at 26.76, compared to 33 (at 28.61) by the faster bowlers.
The spinners have taken
six five-fors and two ten-fors - both figures are twice as many as the fast bowlers have achieved here. Anil Kumble, with 22 wickets in four Tests at 25.32, is by far the most successful bowler. Harbhajan Singh's eight wickets have come at a more expensive 35 runs per wicket. In the only Test that they played here, New Zealand's spin duo didn't enjoy too much success - Daniel Vettori toiled 59 overs for four wickets, while Paul Wiseman went wicketless in 24.
Rahul Dravid has a
score to settle at the Sardar Patel Stadium: in six innings, his highest score is 34, and he averages a mere 27.20. Sachin Tendulkar, though, will have fonder memories of Ahmedabad, and New Zealand: the last time the two teams clashed here, Tendulkar smashed 217, his first double-century in Tests. In seven innings here, Tendulkar has scored 416 runs at 59.
If the last two Tests here are any indication, the pitch at Motera should last the entire duration of the match, get progressively slower, and aid the batsmen. Batting in the
fourth innings hasn't been particularly difficult here: New Zealand batted out the entire last day in 1999-2000, losing just two wickets, while India lost only three on the final day against England last year. The average runs-per-wicket figure for each innings in Tests at Ahmedabad is as follows: 35.23 (first innings), 29.42 (second), 24.53 (third) and 26.32 (fourth).
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