If the Australian team were allowed to pick a pitch to play a match in India, they surely would’ve chosen the surface at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium here. With its uncharacteristic pace and bounce, the pitch may provide the visitors a homely feel during the fifth one-day international on Thursday. During the Champions League T20, in fact, former Australian opener Justin Langer went on to compare it with the track at the WACA ground in Perth.

However, this ‘homecoming’ might just not be a happy one for Ricky Ponting & Co, as after Brett Lee, Tim Paine and James Hopes, now fast bowler Peter Siddle has also joined the growing injury-list. The burly Victorian paceman, who has led the pace-attack in Lee’s absence, has been ruled out of the series due to a side strain and is heading home Down Under.

Seamer-friendly

While the fast-bowling department has been a major worry for Ponting, the Indian pace trio of Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Ishant Sharma have been impressive and will look to exploit the conditions in Hyderabad. Chief curator YL Chandrasekar said that he was wondering if preparing a lively pitch for a match against the Aussies was the right thing, but the Indian bowlers’ performance has come as a huge relief for him.

“The normal thing to do is to prepare a wicket which will suit the home team. And I was in a fix about providing the Australians with bouncy and pacy conditions. But the Indian fast bowlers have been superior to them in this series, which makes my job a little easier,” said Chandrasekar, who has been in-charge here for the last two years.

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