65m boundaries, hybrid pitch: Inside the new venue for India’s Asian Games campaign

Indian cricket team (PTI)

Chennai: India’s gold medal defence in cricket at the Asian Games will begin in the quarterfinals on September 28, and there could well be a blockbuster game against Pakistan a couple of days later.The site of three baseball grounds has been converted into a new facility in Nisshin called Korogi Sports Park, where Japan will get a taste of top-flight cricket.

For starters, it’s not as small a ground as the one used during the Hangzhou Asiad four years ago. The shortest boundary at Nisshin is 65 metres, almost 10 metres longer than the facility that hosted cricket at Hangzhou.Adam Birss, technical operations manager for cricket at the Asiad, told TOI that this was possible because the organisers were able to build a ground from scratch, giving them the liberty to use more space, which wasn’t the case in Hangzhou.To help with the preparation of the pitches, the Asian Cricket Council reached out to Sri Lanka Cricket, which sent Asitha Wijayasinghe, the curator of Kandy’s Pallekele International Stadium.Given Pallekele’s high-scoring nature, it will be safe to assume that the facility in Nisshin will see a lot of runs being scored. It can be a welcome relief from what we saw when part of the T20 World Cup in 2024 was held at a makeshift venue at Nassau County ground near New York, with teams struggling to manage 125.

In addition to four turf pitches, the ground also has a hybrid pitch consisting of natural clay and synthetic fibres, the technology being used in Australia and Sri Lanka.“The construction allows us to prepare a faster pitch. It is also more forgiving in terms of wear and tear,” Birss said.

The clay used for the pitches is local. “The clay content will not only provide bounce for pacers, but also grip for spinners,” Birss added.

One of the biggest concerns will be the risk of typhoons, which typically strike Japan around the window in which the Games are scheduled to be held. This makes drainage an important aspect, and Birss informed that adequate measures are being taken.“The ground has been reinforced with a sand base, allowing for more water absorption. However, given that the ground was built with a tight public budget, the drainage cannot be compared with the best around the world,” Birss said.