Three of the four Men’s World Cup matches at the Wankhede Stadium have seen a team batting first tally 350-plus. And the only time a sub-300 total was witnessed, the chasing team won the game, thanks to Glenn Maxwell’s maverick innings.
With New Zealand yet to play a game at the Wankhede Stadium in this World Cup edition, the 22-yard strip at the Big W will certainly be in focus. It did not come as a surprise then that head coach Rahul Dravid and his two trusted lieutenants - batting coach Vikram Rathour and bowling coach Paras Mhambrey - headed straight to the Wankhede Stadium after the team checked into a south Mumbai hotel.
Dravid, Rathour and Mhambrey took a long and hard look at the pitch while the rest of the squad took it easy. Interestingly, even before New Zealand reached the stadium for a training session, the pitch had been covered. After persisting with the ground authorities for a long time, assistant coach James Foster was allowed to inspect the pitch.
