Chepauk mantra: Win toss, bat first

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium might behave a tad differently than it behaves normally. Traditionally, it has assisted spinners with hot and humid conditions getting purchase for the tweakers. But this time around, the pitch is flat with the ball coming on to the bat, making it ideal for strokeplay.

Before the start of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, the ground was dug up and pitches re-laid with no matches for five months thereafter to retain freshness. The stadium has both red soil and black soil pitches to offer variety in the playing conditions but locals say both type of pitches are batter friendly. This may come as a good news for the home team which has been slightly uncomfortable facing tweakers, especially off-spinners.

That does not mean that it is a 250-plus ground. With boundaries longer on the square side, fours and sixes may be relatively harder to hit. A score of 180-200 for the team batting first is the norm here. New Zealand pacers exploited the conditions well against Afghanistan here. Canada's Yuvraj Danra hit a 65-ball 110 against the Black Caps. Dew is hardly a consideration for the chasing team. Expect the team winning the toss to bat first.