Ind vs Eng: Why have pitches in England become batting-friendly?

Pitches in England during the ongoing summer have been uncharacteristically flat, not only in the India vs England Test series, but also in County Championship and the India U-19 vs England U-19 matches.

After the Youth Test between the Under-19 teams ended in a draw at Kent County ground in Beckenham last week, the curator was asked if the Indian Test team requested any special kind of pitches for their practice session.

“It’s been a long summer and a lot of cricket has been played. Even if they ask for anything, I won’t be able to give them,” the curator replied.


The locals at Manchester are calling it a "beautiful summer" as the sun has been blazing down barring the rain in the last few days.

Weather and pitches have been a constant topic of discussion. India pacer Akash Deep, on his first tour of England, expected encouraging seam and swing but the bubble was burst in the first India ‘A’ game he played before the Test series.

Before the series started, England team’s managing director Rob Key observed that the increasing amount of cricket has played a part in the pitches getting flatter over the years. “There are a lot of tired squares. They’ve got more cricket than ever now that The Hundred and women’s cricket are in every county,” Key analysed.

As seen in the first three Tests between India and England, the pitches have lost zip. At Edgbaston, England captain Ben Stokes even said that the conditions resembled the subcontinent.

Former England captain Andrew Strauss, too, leaned on the narrative. “With cloud cover and a bit more moisture in the surfaces, you’re going to get a little bit more live grass. Therefore, it’s going to seam and swing a bit more. So, the weather’s played perfectly into India’s hands so far ,” Strauss told TOI during the Lord’s Test.

The "Bazball" style of play, which is a batting-dominated approach may have also played a role in the kind of pitches being rolled out. Another former England captain Michael Vaughan brought up this point during a chat with TOI.

“For England to play this style of cricket (attacking batting), if you play on green tops, they are going to get bowled out quite quickly. I would think that England want to play on flatter wickets to play the expansive brand of cricket,” Vaughan reckoned.

Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, who has been a broadcaster for the seires, pointed out that the ground staff struggle to maintain moisture after all the grounds were made sand-based to improve drainage.

“A few of the ground staff told me that all the rainwater drains out so quickly that it dries up the surface quickly. In fact, the ground staff in Birmingham had to recently put cardboard sheets besides the main square so that the main square remains moist longer,” Dasgupta told TOI .