India leaving no stone unturned as they prepare to take on South Africa

The Indian team will be greeted by a 'green carpet' at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium as they begin their preparations for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka. Not the usual greenish pitch but a green carpet in literal sense.

By GS Vivek

The Indian team will be greeted by a 'green carpet' at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium as they begin their preparations for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka. Not the usual greenish pitch but a green carpet in literal sense.

The Indian team has freshly ordered a green matting pitch for practice and hand-picked a set of tall fast bowlers like Navdeep Saini for nets as they kick-start preparations for the South Africa tour.

A brainchild of skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, the Indian team wants to get used to the bounce of the South African conditions by batting on matting wickets.

VVS Laxman and many other batsmen from the previous generation had long advocated batting on matting pitches to help shape better cut and pull shots.

Also in an attempt to simulate match conditions like South Africa, the Indian team has hand-picked bowlers who can replicate deliveries like Morne Morkel, like bowling from a height with a high-arm action.

According to sources, the Indian team has asked all batsmen to practice a lot on matting pitches.

Even as the Indian team has demanded a hard bouncy pitch for the third Test, they are leaving no stone unturned for their preparations for South Africa tour.