Fresh pitch for Mohali Test

Punjab Cricket Association chief curator Daljit Singh has been running between the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali.

Punjab Cricket Association chief curator Daljit Singh has been running between the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali and the Sector 16 Stadium in Chandigarh in order to try and get the wickets ready for the two games featuring Australia a Board Presidents XI match and a Test.

The Board Presidents XI tour match will be held from September 25 to 27 and the first Test at Mohali from October 1 to 5.

Continuous rains have affected the preparations. Also,we havent played a match on the Mohali wicket. Only one practice game

was played during the Punjab team camp. But there is still a lot of moisture. Due to the rains,the wickets have been kept largely covered. Though,we have kept some grass on the wickets there will be some bounce also. Teams dont really like fresh wickets at the start of the season. I am afraid that will be the case this time in Mohali, Daljit said.

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India recorded a 320-run win in the last Test played between the two teams in Mohali.

The Australian team is scheduled to arrive in the country next week. The JP Atray tournament is being played at the Sector 16 Stadium. The JP Atray tournament matches in Chandigarh have shown that the wicket is good for making runs. The wickets were covered for a long time but they are looking good, Daljit added.