Sachin Tendulkar will relish batting on Wankhede pitch, says curator Sudhir Naik

While Sachin Tendulkar's penultimate Test in Kolkata ended in only three days, his swansong in Mumbai promises to last full five days, atleast that's what curator of the Wankhede Stadium believes.

According to Sudhir Naik, the Wankhede pitch will last the full five days © IANS

By Taus Rizvi

While Sachin Tendulkar’s penultimate Test in Kolkata ended in only three days, his swansong in Mumbai promises to last full five days, atleast that’s what curator of the Wankhede Stadium believes.

Mumbai’s selection committee chief Sudhir Naik, who has doubled up as the curator, has promised to provide a track that will see the great batsman enjoy batting on it.

The former Test cricketer said it will be a typical “Mumbai wicket”. “It is going to be a sporting track. Seamers will enjoy first couple of days and will get a good bounce and carry while the spinners will come into play on the fourth and fifth day. The batsman will have a say in between. So, the wicket will have something for everybody,” Naik told dna.

Naik has been a curator of the Wankhede for the last few years and was the part of the BCCI’s pitch committee till last year. He was recently made the selection committee chief, however, the MCA requested him to help with his expertise as a curator.

This being Tendulkar’s last Test Naik said the batting maestro would enjoy his stint at the wicket. “It will be helpful for stroke play. Sachin will definitely enjoy playing here and would like to get some runs. Since it will have bounce and turn, he can sign off in style with a good knock,” he added.

The Eden Gardens wicket was a bit rough and had some uneven bounce. Tendulkar got out for a 41-ball 10 to a Shane Shillingford doosra that rapped his pads. However, umpire Nigel Llong’s decision was questionable as television replays suggested the ball would have sailed over the wickets.

Wankhede stadium has been one of Tendulkar’s favourite grounds where he has scored 847 runs with two centuries and seven half centuries in 10 games.

(Taus Rizvi is a Principal Correspondent with DNA. A club-level cricketer, he believes cricket helps in knowing a person’s character. Taus can be followed on @rizvitaus on Twitter. The above news has been republished with permission from DNA, where it first appeared)

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