Curator hints at 'Chennai-like' pitch for crucial Kanpur Test

The Green Park curator said on Wednesday that the wicket for the second Test between India and Bangladesh will be an ideal five-day pitch that will assist pacers in the first two sessions and aid spinners on the last three days.

The Test is scheduled to commence on Friday.

"There will be that Chennai match feeling. It will have something for everyone. It will offer bounce in the first two sessions and it will be pretty good for batting for the first two days. Then, the spinners will come into play on the last three days," curator Shiv Kumar told PTI.

India had thrashed Bangladesh by 280 runs in the opening Test in Chennai.

The black soil for the Green Park pitch, as always, has been sourced from Kali Mitti village near Unnao, which is 23km from Kanpur.

The pitches made from black soil traditionally assist spinners, while red soil helps the pacers. The pitch is expected to play low and slow.

"We get this soil tested from the Indian Institute of Technology. It's a special soil that is found near a pond in village Kali Mitti. It (bringing black soil from the village) is a practice we have been following for years," said an UPCA official.

Going green

The Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association has decided to considerably reduce the use of plastic during the second Test in order to keep the environment clean.

The UPCA has banned plastic plates for serving snacks inside the stadium and would only allow paper plates.

"This is a match at Green Park and we are striving to make it a 'green' match. We have decided to use as little plastic as possible," said stadium director Sanjay Kapur.