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Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is known to be one of the most iconic cricket sites globally. Established in 1974, the pitch has been a witness to numerous exciting contests over the years.
The venue is the location of the Indian Premier League Mumbai Indians franchise and is situated near Marine Drive in Churchgate. One of the factors that make the place attractive is the various phases of a match that the pitch has been able to adapt to.
Should you be following the matches at this venue on Khelofun or elsewhere, it is important to have a good understanding of how the surface competition since it would give you a better perspective of what is happening on the field.
Wankhede Stadium Pitch Report : What Makes this Stadium Unique?
The surface of Wankhede is composed of native red soil, which produces some unique circumstances. The red soil imparts more bounce and speed to the ball, particularly at the very beginning of the contest. The stadium's sea breeze coming in adds another aspect to the pitch conditions. All these natural factors together create a surface that varies its character as the hours of things go by.
The outfield here is relatively short compared to other big cricket grounds. The majority of the boundary lines are about 65 to 70 meters from the pitch center. The straight boundary is about 70 meters while the square boundaries are shorter at around 65 meters. These small measurements mean that batsmen can hit over the boundary without necessarily competing hard shots.
Early Match Conditions and Fast Bowler Heaven
As soon as the contest starts, the fast bowlers quickly come to the forefront. The red soil surface gives good carry and movement to the ball for the first few overs. The sea breeze allows the fast bowlers to easily swing the ball through the air. The new ball also bounces off the pitch very well, allowing the pacers to put the opening batters in trouble.
Statistics show the same thing. At Wankhede, the fast bowlers take roughly 63% of all the wickets, and the spinners only manage to get 33%. During the powerplay overs, the pacers have been remarkably effective, taking more than 90% of the wickets in the first six overs. The pitch provides them with movement both in the air and off the seam which makes it very difficult for the batters to settle down.
Here's what quick bowlers get in the early stages:
- Good bounce from the red soil surface
- Swing movement helped by sea breeze
- Seam movement off the pitch
- Extra pace and carry through to the keeper
How Things Change for Batters as the Match Goes On
When the initial excitement of the ball and the pitch has died down, the hitters are the ones who dictate the contest. The pitch loses its unevenness and becomes a lot more welcoming for the batters to show their skills.
The ball gets to the bat without any hindrances, thus it is easier to shoot at the right moment. Also, short boundaries make Wankhede a place where batters can easily score huge numbers.
The average score of the first innings in limited overs matches is around 171 runs. Teams have successfully chased up scores as high as 213. The highest total ever registered at Wankhede during a T20 contest was 235 runs. These statistics imply that when batters get their rhythm, they can score very fast.
A very quick outfield makes life very easy for the batters when it comes to finding the boundary even with their mishit shots. The pitch gives a little hard time at the beginning but later on, it becomes a heavy-type situation.
The batsmen who managed to survive this tough and rough opening phase often get the reward of going off with huge scores.
Middle Overs and Spin Factor
The fast bowlers have the early parts of the contest and batters are in control as they go along, but spin bowlers are also involved in the entire process. The red soil one starts to yield more grip when it is worn out.
Spinners fix their positions tight in the middle overs, which is a hard time for batters to get such free scoring.
The spinners’ control over the run rates has been good during the middle of the match. Even though they do not get as many wickets as the fast bowlers, skilled spinners can counter the situation in their favor.
The growing weakness of the surface is the very factor that, especially in the longest formats of the contests, the spinners become more menacing.
Match Stats and What They Tell Us
Looking at the numbers from matches competed here gives us a clear picture. Out of 123 matches in the shorter format, teams batting first won 57 times, while teams chasing won 66 matches. This suggests that chasing teams have a slight edge, possibly because of dew in the second half.
The average scores across different formats tell an interesting story:
- Shorter format first innings average: 171 runs
- Test match first innings average: 331 runs
- One-day format first innings average: 255 runs
- Twenty-over format first innings average: 178 runs
Making Sense of the Surface
Understanding how the pitch works really comes down to the timing factor. The initial period is a domain of fast bowlers, who can take advantage of both the new ball and the conditions.
The batters who put up with this difficult phase will be able to enjoy a smoother surface. The boundaries are short, and consequently, even the wrong hits could yield four or six runs.
The Wankhede stadium pitch report depicts a very definite pattern. The pacers get the first wickets, then the batsmen gradually increase the score, and the spinners finally come in at the end of the contest.
The teams that can endure the quick bowlers' initial attack very often manage to either set a big total or win by successfully chasing the target.
