By Duong Huynh 
Alright folks, buckle up. Woke up stupid early today thinking ’bout that Saurashtra pitch report everybody’s been buzzing about. Grabbed my worn-out notebook, chugged half-cold coffee, and just started driving towards the stadium while the sun was still yawning.
Got there right when ground staff were dragging those heavy covers off. Could see the pitch looking kinda naked under morning light. Stuck my hand in the grass – dry as yesterday’s toast, no dew left at all. Groundsman Patel spotted me poking around and just shook his head laughing. “You again? Fine, fine… come measure if you’re so curious.”
Grubby Fingers Test
Knelt down proper on that turf. Dug my nails straight into the soil – top layer flaked off easy like stale biscuit crumbs. Went deeper though? Whole different story. About thumbnail deep, hit this hard clay layer that felt like concrete. Made me whistle. “Patel, this ain’t your granny’s garden soil huh?” He grinned all proud-like. “Wait till afternoon sun bakes it proper. Spinners gonna hug me tomorrow.”
- Crack Patrol: Spotted three fat cracks near the bowler’s footmarks. Ran my car keys along ’em – edges crumbled but bottom was rock solid.
- Color Check: Noticed how one end looked dusty light brown while the other had that dark chocolate shine. Moisture difference? Bet my left shoe on it.
- Foot Stamp Test: Jumped hard near the good length spot. Left barely a dent. Tried same thing off the pitch? Sunk straight in like beach sand.
Patel dragged out his fancy moisture meter while I was doing this circus show. Numbers popped up – 18% center pitch, 24% near the edges. Explained why my keys got stuck in the softer stuff. “See this patch here?” he pointed near mid-wicket area. “Water truck leaked yesterday. Gonna play slow there all match.”
Sun Cooking Lessons
Hung around till noon sweating buckets. Sun turned that clay into a frying pan. Threw some old balls – seamers got decent bounce first hour but later? Started skidding low like they were ashamed to jump. Spin practice was wild though – ragged turns when you hit the cracks, but slid faster than greased weasels on the shiny patches.
Finished up scribbling notes while wiping dirt off my knees. Takeaways? Bat first if you win toss. Period. Openers might get some joy before lunch when it’s still playing nice. Afternoon? Bring on the spinners and pray they aim for the cracky spots. Outfield’s quick though – cut shots will race. Mostly? This ain’t no batting paradise. Gritty old-school wicket where you earn every run.
Left with stadium dust in my teeth and Patel shouting “Next time bring proper tools!” Worth every minute. Some things you just gotta see and touch yourself. Data sheets don’t tell you how hard the clay fights your fingernails.
yadanarbon 