SA vs IND 2018: "There will be ample pace and bounce"- Wanderers Curator

The third Test between South Africa and India will begin on 24^th January, and the, and the pitch curator at the Wanderers has lifted the suspense over the much talked about the surface on which the match will be played. The pitch curator at Centurion came under the serious scrutiny of the South African captain Faf Du Plessis who was heavily in favour of pacey and bouncy pitches before the start of the series.

However, this does not seem to be the case in the next Test as the chief curator at the Wanderers, Bethuel Buthelezi has said that the pitch will not assist any spin and will favour the fast bowlers. Indian batsmen surrendered against the Proteas fast bowling department, and this news will vary them even more before the start of the third Test.

Buthelezi said:

“I have left sufficient green grass on it and I will not be shaving it off again before the match. We will be watering it again before the game. Unlike Centurion, there is no chance of sun burning out this grass because the ground is well watered.”

He also added that the pitch had been prepared according to the demands of the South African team and the Proteas will have no complaints against the pitch this time around:

“I have listened to the demands of the South African team and prepared this pitch accordingly. There won’t be any spin available here, but there will be ample pace and bounce for which this ground is well known.”

“There will also be some lateral movement on account of the grass. Unlike 2013 (when South Africa and India contested a thrilling draw), this is a more result-oriented pitch.”

On the other hand, the Indian team was seen back in the nets after a three-day break in which the cricketers visited various Safaris and theme parks around Johannesburg. India has already lost the series will be playing for pride and end the series with their heads held high as the World’s number one Test ranked side.

Here are some of the pictures from the training session.

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Follow more news about India’s tour of South Africa 2018 here.