Boxing Day Test: How MCG pitch could favor Jasprit Bumrah
What's the story
The fourth Test between Australia and India will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), which hosts the iconic Boxing Day game.
The contest will be crucial as both teams have won a Test each so far, with the Brisbane match being drawn.
The MCG has been working on making its Test pitches more conducive for pace bowlers in the last few years, a change that could benefit Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Pitch preparation
Curator's insights on pitch conditions
When Matt Page, the head curator at MCG, was asked if Bumrah would be satisfied with the pitch prepared for the upcoming Test, he said, "All good bowlers get excited when they come here now. It gets through well for us."
Page further added that while MCG will never match Perth and Brisbane's speed, they have managed to introduce some pace into it over the years.
Information
Bumrah's exploits at MCG
Bumrah has fancied bowling at the MCG so far, helping India win two Tests here (2018 and 2020). In 2018, Bumrah's six-fer powered India to a 137-run win. He was the Player of the Match as he finished with nine wickets. Overall, Bumrah has 15 wickets from two Boxing Day Tests in Melbourne.
Weather impact
Heat wave won't impact pitch preparation
Page also addressed concerns over the forecasted heat wave, saying it wouldn't affect the pitch preparation much.
He said the heat might quicken up things a bit faster than if it was cooler. However, he remained non-committal on whether they'd leave more moisture in it due to weather conditions.
The curator assured they have been satisfied with their work over the past few years and plan to maintain their approach.
Training concerns
MCG's response to India's training concerns
There have been reports from the Indian camp regarding the quality of pitches at MCG nets.
Responding to it, Page said the net wickets are prepared in this manner ahead of the Boxing Day.
He clarified, "Three days out, we prepare Test match pitches. If teams come and train before that, they get what pitches we've had. It's stock-standard procedure for us."
Crowd expectations
MCG prepares for high attendance despite heat
Despite the anticipated heat wave, with temperatures expected to touch 40 degrees on Day 1, Melbourne Cricket Club CEO Stuart Fox expects a combined attendance of over 2,50,000 for the fourth Australia-India Test.
He also added that additional bottles of water would be kept on Thursday and asked fans to take care of themselves in the heat.
Fox said he was excited about crowd figures, adding there are no limits to what they could achieve.