IND vs NZ 3rd Test | Wankhede pitch won’t be a rank turner: Sources

BCCI curators monitor the Wankhede pitch yesterday. Pic/Subodh Mayure

Having beaten India comprehensively in the spin department to clinch a historic 2-0 series win at Pune recently, New Zealand will be hoping for a similar turning track for the third and final Test at the Wankhede Stadium. However, that's not what they will get, as mid-day has learnt from reliable sources that the strip for the Wankhede Test, beginning on Friday, will not be a rank turner.

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"There will be something in it [pitch] for both, batsmen and bowlers. It will be a sporting track, not a rank turner," a source told mid-day on Monday. "There is some grass on the pitch, so initially it will help the pacers, but as the game progresses, the batsmen will have a good chance to score some runs. Then, from the second day onwards, the spinners will also have their say in the game," added the source.

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It is learnt that BCCI's chief curator Ashish Bhowmick and his colleague and member of BCCI's elite curator panel Taposh Chattergee have been in Mumbai since last Friday, overseeing Wankhede curator Ramesh Mhamunkar and his team's work on the 22-yard strip.