IND vs SL: India reportedly unhappy with grass left on practice match pitch; Lankan official defends wicket

The Team India management is reportedly not happy with the amount of grass left on the wicket for their practice match against Sri Lanka XI at the Nondescripts Cricket Club (NCC) Ground in Colombo, which starts on Friday.

The match will be a three-day affair and serve as the final preparation ahead of India's two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts on 15 August.

"The Indian team said that there is too much grass on the wicket, but that is how we keep it because it is a three-day game. You can't give a wicket without grass. Other than that, they were happy with it.

"The wicket we have given is a good wicket, so I can't tell whether it will favour any team. It depends on how they play," A Francke, an official of the NCC Ground, was quoted as saying by Revsportz.

Francke says Indian batters will get good practice

Francke explained that a light covering of grass had been maintained at the request of Sri Lanka Cricket.

He also noted that the venue has traditionally produced batting-friendly surfaces despite the presence of grass, suggesting that the pitch is expected to offer a balanced contest rather than heavily favour either batting or bowling.

"The tinge of grass has been requested by Sri Lanka cricket, so we will keep it like that. Maybe conditions will change, but normally NCC wickets are good batting tracks. We are hoping that there will be high scores here. But the Indian batters can have good practice here before they go to Galle," he said.

The practice game assumes added significance as it is India's final opportunity to acclimatise to Sri Lankan conditions before the Test series.

With only two matches scheduled in the series, the warm-up fixture is expected to help the visitors finalise their combinations, assess the form of their players and allow the bowling attack to adapt to local conditions.

Francke also shared his assessment of how the pitch is likely to behave over the three days. While expecting the wicket to remain favourable for batting early on, he believes spin bowlers could become increasingly influential as the match progresses.

He said spinners are likely to find some help on the second or third day, adding that the side winning the toss should choose to bat first. "Our wicket may help the spinners on the second day or third day. But I will suggest anybody who wins the toss here to bat first. We always prepare good and fair wickets," he explained.

The first Test will be held in Galle from 15 August, and that will be followed by the second Test that will take place in Colombo from 23 August.