It has been raining in Manchester for the past few days. The pitch at Old Trafford has reportedly been mostly under covers and is expected to help the fast bowlers.Team India captain Shubman Gill on Tuesday said the Old Trafford pitch might have more bounce than the previous three venues. However, former England coach David Lloyd and captain Michael Vaughan disagreed.
In the podcast Stick To Cricket, Ravi Shastri said, “This pitch will have more bounce than others from what one’s heard. If the weather is not that hot…”He was quickly corrected by Lloyd, “Very, very flat. No pace, no grass.”Michael Vaughan also chipped in and said: “The pace has gone since Old Trafford… (changed the axis).”Lloyd suggested that the spinners will get more from this pitch.“I’m not saying they’re worried (in these parts, about the loss of sting in the pitch), but they understand that pace has gone out of the pitch… it could spin… The footmarks are there,” he said.Former England batter Mark Ramprakash echoed Lloyd’s sentiments and predicted India might play Kuldeep Yadav in the fourth Test.
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“India may also have a fresh left-arm spinning option if, as rumoured, Kuldeep Yadav comes into the side in Manchester. Traditionally, the Old Trafford surface tends to be dry and abrasive, and to turn as the game goes on. If ever there was a pitch where it would make sense for Kuldeep to come in, this would be it,” Ramprakash wrote in his Guardian column.The fourth Test between India and England will start on Wednesday at Old Trafford.
