IND vs AUS 4th Test: Green top or rank turner? Suspense builds as curator prepares 2 pitches for Ahmedabad tie

The fourth Test match between India and Australia is all set to take center stage at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad from Thursday, March 9. However, with less than 24 hours to go, the suspense over the track is yet to be lifted as the pitch curator in Ahmedabad has prepared two tracks. So with Rohit Sharma prepared to play on green tracks, the big question that surrounds the contest is which track will the hosts prefer, a Green Top or a Rank Turner?

Green Top or Rank Turner?

The India team was a victim of their own success in the third contest in Indore as they suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Steve Smith’s side. While the pitch in Indore backfired on the Indian side, the lid on the Ahmedabad pitch will be lifted in the coming hours. The curator is predicted to have prepared both rank turner and green top wickets to aid the home side while leaving the Aussies in a state of uncertainty. India won the first two Tests while Australia won the third Test, with all the matches lasting less than three days.

“We haven’t received any instructions from the Indian team management and our local curators are preparing a normal track as we have always done through the season,” a state association source told PTI.

“We are going to go for a sporting wicket for this Test. On the central square, we have both types of pitches – black and red (soils). It will soon be decided on which type of track the Test will be played,” GCA source to Indian Express.

While both the PMs will grace the game, India will have a do-or-die contest in hand as they try to seal a place in the final of the WTC. Having retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India will need a clear win to keep their fate in their own hands. The hosts won the opening two contests of the series in Nagpur and Delhi respectively, while they were beaten convincingly in Indore. The win in Indore for the Aussies saw them clinch one place in the WTC final while leaving India, South Africa and Sri Lanka fighting for the other.

Ace Indian seamer Mohammed Shami is all set to return to the playing XI for the final Test against Australia in Ahmedabad as India eye a slot in the finals of the WTC. Shami was rested for the third Test in Indore as part of the workload management drill by the BCCI and team management for the key players who are in the scheme of things for the 50-over World Cup.

As India currently lead the four-match series 2-1, having lost the previous match at the Holkar Stadium by nine wickets on a wicket that ICC rated ‘poor’, they will aim to win the final Test and qualify directly for the finals of WTC for the second time. As of now, only Australia have qualified for the WTC final, which is scheduled to take place at the Oval in London on June 7th.