The Australian cricket team landed in the City on Wednesday evening and made a quiet exit in the team bus from the airport amidst some tight security while giving a skip to a handful of media personnel present there.
The Australian cricket team landed in the City on Wednesday evening without the usual media attention.
The Aussies, who will kick-start their seven-match ODI series with a day-night affair here at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday, made a quiet exit in the team bus from the airport amidst some tight security while giving a skip to a handful of media personnel present there.
The visitors, who appeared jet-lagged after a flight from Johannesburg to here via Dubai, were, given a traditional welcome at their team hotel with customary ‘tilak’ and garlands on their arrival.
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, who will not be playing at least in the initial few matches with a hamstring injury, is scheduled to address a press conference along with team manager Steve Barnard on Thursday.
‘Sporting track’
Meanwhile, the stadium was gearing up for the big match that is promising to be a sea-saw battle between the two sides. And the focus of attention obviously will be the pitch. KSCA Chief Curator Narayan Raju maintained that it will be a ‘sporting track’ with the surface being hard and dry.
The pitch, which was relayed some six months ago, has so far hosted two Twenty20 international matches during the Afro-Asia Cup in June this year. While the track offered fair amount of bounce and carry in those two matches, it remains to be seen if it will bahave the same way this time around.
“The pitch is ready, and we have been working on it for the past one week to maintain a certain level of moisture in it. It will be a good sporting wicket similar to the second or third day pitch in a Test match,” said Raju.
