It feels a bit of a missed opportunity to have the second of a five-Test series take place in the ‘City of Destiny’. Perhaps recent history was considered when sorting the order of the off-broadway venues selected for this India-England series. Only the games up front are guaranteed to be live.
But as both teams arrived in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday afternoon, a strong whiff of fate lingered in the Bay. This time next week, it could be all square, or – get this – England could be heading into their mid-series break in Abu Dhabi 2-0 up. Only those within the touring party believed this was a possibility when they arrived in India.
The ACA-VDCA Stadium has only hosted two previous Tests matches – starting with England’s visit in November 2016 – which have both played about the same: initially good for batting, before the spin turns up from day three onwards. Not unlike the surface rolled out at Hyderabad.
There is a suspicion, borne out of past experience, that Friday’s pitch may be more extreme. Those who toured India in 2021 recall all too well the three chastening losses that followed their opening victory in Chennai. “All three were probably the worst pitches I’ve batted on,” recalled Ben Foakes, who came into the side in the second Test of that series.
Some of those who experienced that tour have labelled it the worst of their lives, as much because of limitations on movement in the Covid-19 era as the unforgiving, embarrassing manner of the defeats. It is a far cry from the free-spirited atmosphere under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum. And so, too, is England’s mindset to cope with whatever India might have up their sleeve this
It feels a bit of a missed opportunity to have the second of a five-Test series take place in the ‘City of Destiny’. Perhaps recent history was considered when sorting the order of the off-broadway venues selected for this India-England series. Only the games up front are guaranteed to be live.
But as both teams arrived in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday afternoon, a strong whiff of fate lingered in the Bay. This time next week, it could be all square, or – get this – England could be heading into their mid-series break in Abu Dhabi 2-0 up. Only those within the touring party believed this was a possibility when they arrived in India.
The ACA-VDCA Stadium has only hosted two previous Tests matches – starting with England’s visit in November 2016 – which have both played about the same: initially good for batting, before the spin turns up from day three onwards. Not unlike the surface rolled out at Hyderabad.
