IND vs NZ Final Pitch: Pain of 2023 or will we get ICC trophy? Who ‘played’ this time regarding the pitch in Ahmedabad?

New Delhi. Team India is just one win away from creating history. India will face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup title battle on March 8 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This is the same ground where India’s dream of winning the 2023 World Cup was shattered. Not only this, in the current tournament also India lost the match played in Ahmedabad. Because of this, there is a little fear among the fans that they will not get to see Heart Break once again. However, this time the fans can heave a sigh of relief from the update that has come out regarding the pitch. If reports are to be believed, a mixed clay pitch will be prepared for the title match.

According to the report of Indian Express, this time a mixed clay pitch will be prepared keeping in mind the last two defeats on this ground. It was reported in the report that a mixed clay pitch will be prepared for the match between India and New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup final to be held at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. This pitch will have more red soil than black soil.

What is mixed clay pitch helpful for?
Due to abundance of red soil in the pitch, the ball comes easily on the bat and there is good bounce on the pitch. This may make it a little easier for the batsmen to bat in both the innings. This same pitch was used in the league matches of South Africa and Canada in the first tournament. In that match, South Africa had scored 213/5 runs, while Canada could only score 156/8 runs.

Two setbacks met on the same ground
One reason for choosing such a pitch is India’s defeat in the last two big matches. India lost to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final in this stadium. There was a black soil pitch in that match, which was slow and the Indian batsmen were not successful in scoring runs freely. At the same time, in the Super-8 match of the current World Cup, India had to face defeat from South Africa by more than 70 runs on the same ground, which gave a big blow to the team’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

A source said, ‘For the final match, the Indian team will be given a mixed clay pitch at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.’ The source further said, ‘It will be a balanced pitch, due to which no team will get much advantage. There is more red soil in this pitch, so the ball will get good bounce and the batsmen will also benefit.

The Indian team management was not happy with some of the pitches received in the league matches of the tournament. He also talked to local curators about this. For this reason, some staff of the Indian Board was sent to keep an eye on the preparation of the pitch. The Indian team will have its last practice session on Saturday before the final and will watch the pitch closely.