Track at the Barabati stadium here, venue for the first one-dayer between India and the West Indies, will be tailor-made for batting with plenty of runs on offer, said curator PankajPatnaik. Going by Patnaik's words, the sellout crowd is set to witness a high-scoring match.
"We have prepared a batting-friendly wicket and there will be plenty of runs for the batsmen. I am not ruling out a total of 300," Patnaik.
1st ODI: India v West Indies at Cuttack
Nov 29, 2011 (14:30 local, 09:00 GMT)
Bowlers will get good bounce and there will be little turn for spinners but we have to make sure the wickets offer lots of runs as it's a one-day match after all," he added.
That India chased down on the last two occasions 243 vs Sri Lanka (December 21, 2009) and 273 vs England (November 26, 2008), suggest that the team batting second is likely to have an advantage.
"There will be dew factor in these parts. But we are taking all the precautions. We will use some chemical spray to keep dew at bay. We will use it before the match in two hours intervals so that it will negate the dew affect."
Traditionally, it has been a lucky venue for the Indian team, which has won on nine occasions, lost four and one was abandoned due to rain. In the last match here, India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets, chasing down Sri Lanka's 240-run target with 45 balls to spare.
Against the West Indies, they have an all-win record here, having won on both occasions -- on November 9, 1994 and January 24, 2007. The capacity at the renovated stadium has increased from 39,000 to 45,000.
Tickets have been sold out on the first day of sales on Saturday, with thousands queuing up since early morning.
