With the Test series between India and England at a gripping stage and the fixture in Manchester looming, the first look of the pitch at Old Trafford has surfaced. Former England seamer Steve Harmison has given his predictions about what the conditions will be like in Manchester for the decisive contest.
Team India are notably yet to win a Test in Manchester, having played at the venue nine times and hasn't featured in a red-ball game at Old Trafford since 2014. With the tourists being 2-1 down in the series, they must win in Manchester to stand a chance of claiming the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy.
Speaking in a video shared by Star Sports, Harmison predicts rain in Manchester but expects the wicket to remain flat and expects it to deteriorate as the game goes on.
"Well, it's Old Trafford. It hasn't rained anywhere in about three months. If it's going to rain anywhere, it will be Manchester because it always does. We could do with some rain because we could do with livened up surfaces. The first-class pitches in Manchester in the last 18 months, 2 years haven't been one where you go, like they were 10-15 years ago, bouncy pitches. They were hard and abrasive. There was a lot of reverse swing. They're all very similar now, very slow, very turgid and flat. I think it'll be a similar wicket to what we had at Edgbaston and at Lord's, where the wicket will break up as the game goes on."
Mohammed Siraj confirms Jasprit Bumrah will play in Manchester
Meanwhile, Team India pacer Mohammed Siraj confirmed that star bowler Jasprit Bumrah is all set to play in Manchester but remained coy about the exact combination of the side.
"He (Bumrah) will play. Akash Deep has a groin issue, he bowled today and now physios will see. That’s what I know so far. But as the combinations keep changing, we need to be patient, as much as we can. Bowl in the right areas. If you saw the last game, they (England) batted with a lot of patience. We also felt like that's the real fun of Test cricket."
The tourists are certain to make one change to their line-up, with Nitish Kumar Reddy ruled out of the series.
