Wet pitch and late Gujarat resurgence

The only time Sawai Man Singh (SMS) stadium hosted a Test match was in 1987 - during Pakistan's epic tour of India. The last time the venue hosted a One Day International (ODI) was way back in 2013 - when India crushed Australia by nine wickets, despite chasing 360. The venue, once considered as the fortress of Rajasthan Royals, the now suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, wasn't even hosting its full quota of games during the later years, with the team being forced to shift to alternative venues - after the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) failed to acquire the necessary clearance from the government.

When one of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals (between Gujarat and Odisha) was allotted to this ground, it was an opportunity for the organisers to put their best foot forward and impress the higher-ups in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), about the future prospects of the iconic ground. While the political quagmire has affected the cricket-loving public of Jaipur, the pitch didn't do any favours this time around, either for the hosts or for the two teams - particularly, Gujarat captain, Parthiv Patel.

On a damp track which was later described as wet by their head coach, Vijay Patel, Gujarat had already lost the prized wicket of Priyank Panchal - the top-scorer in this Ranji season, with 1037 runs. The right-handed batsman nibbled at one that rose at him awkwardly and offered a simple catch to first slip.

If the mode of the dismissal could have added consternation to the Gujarat camp - who had lost the toss and were asked to bat on what looked like a pitch with a fair sprinkling of grass, the struggle of Parthiv would have definitely brought tremors to the camp. Fresh from a successful time with the bat against England, Parthiv's confidence would have been sky-high, despite the presence of grass on the wicket.

There were occasional plays and misses, a few edges that dropped short of the fielders, but on a pitch that's assisting the pace bowlers, you need to wade through tough periods. However, when one ball bounced in an uneven fashion to hit Parthiv on the left-arm, there was serious concern about the nature of the track. The pain was obvious as the left-handed batsman threw his bat away and was followed by a prolonged session of treatment from the physio.

It was at this moment that Parthiv decided to take the matter into his own hands. After prolonged discussions with the two on-field umpires, Yeshwant Barde and CK Nandan, it was decided to halt the game for a while - allowing the groundsmen to work on the areas of concern, which were on a good length and just outside a right-handed batsman's off-stump. The light roller was once again pressed into action while the umpires decided to call for an early lunch, at around 11:30 AM.

"The wicket wasn't just damp, it was wet," said Vijay Patel, the head coach of Gujarat, when Cricbuzz asked him the reason behind the stoppage of play after Parthiv's injury. "We had complained about it even before the start of the match, but the authorities brushed away our concerns. The conditions got a lot better once the sun came out," he added.

The break in play did help to settle the pitch, but the doubts in the batsmen's mind were firmly planted. Parthiv sustained a painful blow on his box immediately after resumption and perished soon after - nibbling at a delivery that left him. It would be unfair to blame the pitch alone for Gujarat's shortcomings, Odisha's bowling - especially their three pacers, Deepak Behera, Suryakant Pradhan and Basant Mohanty made things tougher - with their ability to land it in right areas and probe the batsmen with consistent line and length. Behera set the ball rolling - making most of the early morning nip to get past the two openers, Pradhan was equally menacing while Mohanty - surprisingly used as first-change, brought his experience to the fore.

"The conditions were helpful and they exploited it nicely," the Gujarat coach said. "If given similar conditions, our bowlers, particularly Rush Kalaria and Jasprit Bumrah would have done much better, he slyly remarked."

It was a pitch where you needed to show application, but barring Bhargav Merai (31), none of the other Gujarat batsmen showed willingness to battle the conditions. Manprit Juneja didn't offer a shot to an inswinger from Mohanty while Rujul Bhatt poked at an outswinger from Samantray. Merai's resistance was cut short when Behera caught him in no-man's land with a bouncer. The intended pull ended up as a top-edge and was safely held at backward square leg.

At 71 for 6, Gujarat were certainly missing Axar Patel, whose all-round abilities would have come in handy on an up and down surface. "He got injured while fielding during the India-England Test match in Chennai," said the coach, when asked about his absence.

The situation demanded cool heads and Gujarat found two in the form of Chirag Gandhi and Kalaria. The conditions had eased out, the pitch behaved like a normal Day 1 track and it was time for the Gujarat batsmen to cash in. The two batsmen were as different as 'chalk and cheese', Gandhi was happy to bide his time while Kalaria looked adventurous. Together, the duo added vital runs, getting their team out of choppy waters. Cricket is a mind game, the pitch, which played truant in the first session was the batsman's ally in the final session. Runs came at a good clip and Gujarat got themselves out of a big hole.

Gujarat ended up with 197 for 6 at stumps on Day 1 and Vijay seemed to suggest a score of around 300 would be a competitive one. The team had played a league match here in October against Baroda and had piled up a mammoth 555 for 4 declared - with Manprit Juneja making a double ton. But according to the Gujarat coach, it was a one-off scenario and he didn't expect such a batting feast this time around. "We played in October then, but the conditions were very hot, it's cold now and the mist in the evening makes it more favourable for the bowlers," he reckoned.

If the day's action is taken on the whole then it becomes pretty clear that it was the early wetness that caused the uneven bounce in the first session of play. As the day wore on, the pitch flattened out completely, with the batsmen playing their strokes. Yes, there were a couple of instances where the ball stopped on the batsmen, but overall it looked like a very good batting surface. All eyes will now be on the match referee's report to the BCCI - one that might well seal the fate of SMS stadium - at least for the near future.