Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium has become the first BCCI-accredited venue to install a state-of-the-art ‘hybrid pitch’ and future international and IPL matches will be held on this track.

The Netherlands-based ‘SISGrass’, a part of the SIS Pitches group of companies, has been roped in for the first-ever hybrid pitch installation.

According to a press release, “this cutting-edge technology will transform the game by providing a more durable, consistent, and high-performing playing surface.” HPCA president R.P. Singh said, “The arrival of ground-breaking hybrid pitch technology in India signifies a game-changing moment for our national cricket.”

Paul Taylor, a former England cricketer and SIS’s international cricket director said, “As we inject new and improved technological advancements into India’s vibrant cricket ecosystem, we foresee a catalytic effect on its growth trajectory.” “At SISGrass, and working with fine turf specialists Greater Ten, our delivery partner in India, we are committed to investing in this ecosystem by providing top-notch facilities such as hybrid pitches,” he added.

SIS forayed in India after the ICC allowed the use of hybrid surfaces for T20 and 50-over competitions.

Following the success of installing hybrids across English cricket grounds, SIS decided to develop the technology in India.

The surface contains a small percentage of polymer fibre with the natural turf inside cricket stadiums. This composition is believed to be more resilient to stresses created during play, while prolonging life of the pitch, guaranteeing an even bounce and easing pressure on groundstaff.

The completed installations are still predominantly natural grass, with only 5% polymer fibre used to ensure that the characteristics of an all-natural pitch are maintained.

‘The Universal’ machine, used in Dharamshala for the hybrid pitch, will be taken to Ahmedabad and Mumbai to create further such pitches. It will remain in India for future projects.

In the U.K., hybrid pitches are approved for T20 and 50-over competitions and will also be used in the four-day County Championship matches this season. The Universal machine has been used to install SISGrass at various grounds in England such as Lord’s, The Oval, Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge.

It must be noted that Dharamsala pitch and outfield came under scanner during the ODI World Cup last year and the entire playing surface was refurbished.

England bowler James Anderson after completing 700 wickets on the third day of the final test match at HPCA Ground in Dharamshala on March 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: R.V. Moorthy

With the snow-capped Dhauladhar mountain ranges providing a stunning backdrop here, James Anderson, 41, scaled ‘Mount 700’ to permanently etch his name among the greats of the game.

Precisely 15 minutes into the third day’s play on Saturday, the dismissal of Kuldeep Yadav signalled the end of Anderson’s wait. The ball kissed the outside edge of Kuldeep’s bat and wicketkeeper Ben Foakes completed the dismissal. This was the moment of the day for Anderson, England and their supporters.

On his debut against Zimbabwe in May 2003, Anderson began his wicket-tally by bowling Mark Vermeulen at Lord’s and gradually became the most reliable new-ball weapon in the English armoury.

Third to reach the mark

Playing his 187th Test, Anderson became only the third bowler — following spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800) and Shane Warne (708) — to take 700 Test wickets.

Since surpassing Australian Glenn McGrath’s career-tally of 563 wickets when he dismissed Mohammad Shami at The Oval in September 2018, Anderson remains the highest Test wicket-taker among fast bowlers.

The main reason for Anderson’s longevity in Tests is his decision to stay focused on red-ball cricket.

He played the last of his 194 ODIs against Afghanistan in March 2015 and finished with 269 wickets.

In fact, his T20 career lasted just 19 matches for 18 wickets and ended in 2009. In Test cricket, Anderson has three 10-wicket match-hauls and 32 five-wicket performances.

These numbers could change since Anderson is not done yet.

New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner celebrates a wicket during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between against Afghanistan
| Photo Credit: PTI

New Zealand spinner Mitchell Santner feels assessing the conditions in Dharamsala and countering an in-form Rohit Sharma will be vital as they eye the “tough” task of beating India at home during their World Cup clash on Sunday.

New Zealand have done well to adapt to the different conditions in the World Cup. The Black Caps, who have won all four of their games in the tournament so far, have played in Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Chennai.

They will now fly to Dharamsala for the much-anticipated game against India, who are on a three-match winning streak.

“We know they’re going to obviously be a challenge at home. They look pretty tough to beat. We’ll have to do our assessment in Dharamsala – see what the wicket’s going to do.

“There has been a little pace and bounce. But whether that is the case when we play them, we’ll see,” Santner said after New Zealand’s 149-run win over Afghanistan on Wednesday.

Rohit has looked in imperious form at the top, playing brilliant knocks of 86 against Pakistan and 131 against Afghanistan to fashion huge victories.

“I think power play with the ball is going to be very important. The way Rohit’s kind of getting them off to a flyer. And so, I think we have to do similar stuff to what we’re doing.

“I guess you’re never going to play a perfect game so for us, it’s two points. That’s what we look to get out of every game depending on who we’re playing and what we’ve done well through this tournament is being able to adapt to different conditions.

“Every pitch we’ve played on has been slightly different. We have to treat it very similarly leading into the game against India, assess the conditions, see what’s going to work the best with ball, with bat, build those partnerships and try to take them deep and see what happens.”

Searching for their maiden title, New Zealand have so far beaten holders England, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, in the tournament.

“We’ve just got to kind of keep doing us, keep focused on the things we want to and how we want to play. And obviously, it’s nice to be in this position to lead into this game.

“We obviously know it’s such a long tournament, and one loss isn’t going to hurt you if you win the rest, or you kind of look at that at the start.” The Kiwis survived an early scare with the bat to post a respectable total of 288 for 6 and successfully defended it to secure a win over Afghanistan.

Santner believes the 144-run partnership between skipper Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips was the turning point.

“We know that every game is a tough game. Afghanistan today was no different. We started off pretty well, but there were moments in the game where we were battling a little bit.

“It was on a knife edge for a while, so it was nice to get to a score. I guess that partnership between Tom and GP was massive for us, and then it – pressure with the new ball always helps.”

CSK’s Santner and Conway enjoy home comfort at MA Chidambaram Stadium

Familiar with the conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium having played for the Chennai Super Kings, Santner had a spectacular game. The spin all-rounder took three scalps and plucked the ball midair to complete a stunning catch.

“I guess when we turn up here for IPL, we’ve played on wickets that kind of look similar to that. Today, it looked like it swung a little bit and actually spun a little bit more under lights, which kind of helped that we lost the toss and batted first,” he said.

“It’s nice to be playing here, watched a lot of games here and played the odd one, and speak for Dev (Conway) as well, it’s pretty cool to play in front of some loyal fans.” Ibrahim Zadran’s wicket saw Santner become just the second Black Caps spinner to reach 100 ODI dismissals, after former skipper Daniel Vettori.

“It’s nice to get to that milestone. I wasn’t thinking about it too much leading into the game. It’s just about trying to perform my role and do a job out there just like every other game.

It has been a general trend in this World Cup that the teams have been attacking more during the second powerplay with pacers. As for the New Zealanders, they have used Santner and pacer Lockie Ferguson in tandem.

“I guess that kind of the middle phase – the key is to try to take wickets. It’s challenging at times when teams use that phase to set up a platform and then have wickets in hand to attack the last 10-15 overs.”

“So, it’s nice for me when he’s (Ferguson) bowling 150 out of the other end because they might try to take me on a bit more and not face that. His role in the middle is to be aggressive and take wickets. And, on a day, if he is potentially going for runs, it might be more my job to kind of hold it.”