BCCI goes with Dhoni, orders rank turners for remaining Tests, T20s

The BCCI has responded quickly to skipper M S Dhoni's demand for a pitch with "turn and bounce" after India's first Test win on the "slow and low" Motera track. Three days before the Mumbai Test, the board has asked state associations hosting the remaining three Tests and the two T20s — starting with Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) — to prepare rank turners.

"We have asked the curators to cooperate with whatever demands the Indian captain has regarding the pitches for the Tests and T20s against England," a BCCI official told The Indian Express. Curators of two venues confirmed that they had received instructions from the board.

Dhoni had complained about the pitches in the two Tests against New Zealand earlier this year, even though India had won 2-0. He had demanded wickets that would assist his spinners from the very beginning.

"When the wicket seams right from the first delivery, nobody asks questions. What you don't want is ridges in the wicket. The only way to take the toss out of the equation is to have pitches that turn right from the start," Dhoni said in Ahmedabad on Monday.

If MCA officials are to be believed, Alastair Cook & Co will be welcomed at Wankhede with a pitch with probably more bite than they can handle. "In comparison to Motera, where the pitch was slow, the spinners will not only get a lot of turn here, they will also benefit from added bounce," an official said.

While the BCCI made its stand clear, it is learnt that Dhoni had rung up some MCA officials and asked for a pitch that would suit his demands.

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