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Pace of pitch holds key at Mohali

     Islamabad: India's coach John Wright is camping in Mohali and Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam is taking the expert advice to work out their game strategy according to the behaviour of the Mohali pitch where pace holds the key as it becomes a batting paradise after favouring pacemen initially. According to the News, Intikhab, who has the experience of accompanying the PCA team during the Indian domestic cricket, has been asked to share his experiences about the pitch where a number of matches were played. The Indian coach John Wright, on the other hand, is directing how the pitch for the first test should be prepared and what should be its nature and behaviour. "Wright is in Mohali and has been working closely with the ground staff there to see what sort of pitch is prepared for the first test. The Indians apparently feel their best chance of beating Pakistan is through pace in Mohali as they believe the Pakistanis are weak in this department," the paper quoted an Indian source as saying. The general behaviour of the Mohali pitch has been that it becomes a graveyard for speedsters after favouring them initially. "That is what Wright and Saurav Ganguly want to avoid this time. Which is the reason they are taking so much interest in the preparation of the pitch," the paper quoted the source as saying.

Indian team arrives in Chandigarh (Go To Top)
by Sunil Sharma

     Chandigarh: The Indian cricket team arrived here today to play the first Test against Pakistan at Mohali from March 8. The team led by Captain Saurav Ganguly arrived here at 3 p.m. amidst tight security. Among the other players who arrived were Sachin Tendulkar, L. Balaji, Anil Kumble, Virender Sehwag, V.V.S. Laxman, Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Murali Karthik. Although,Chandigarh was gearing up for the oath taking ceremony of the new Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the city diverted its attention towards the cricketers for quite a while. The players drove from the airport to the Hotel Mountain View in Sector 10 without talking to the media. Rahul Dravid and Irfan Pathan arrived in the city on Friday itself. Sehwag and Laxman were accompanied by their wives. The players are expected to go in for a practice session at the PCA, Mohali in the evening today. The Pakistan cricket team would be arriving here tomorrow from Dharamshala. Security has been beefed up in the city with both Punjab and Chandigarh police guarding every nook and corner of the city.

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