Established: 1993
Capacity: 28,000
Floodlights: Yes
Ends: Pavilion End, City End
Home Team: Punjab
Curator: Daljit Singh
Test History: 7 Tests; 2 home wins; 1 away win; 4 draws
Last 7 tosses: 3 batted first (1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss); 4 bowled first (1 win, 3 draws)

Overview

Formerly a swamp with deep ravines, the PCA Stadium is located in Mohali, a suburb of both the Punjabi and Haryanan capital, Chandigarh, in northern India.

Most of the ground is made up of low uncovered stands with a trench separating spectators from the field which becomes a moat when there's been some rain about. But the Pavilion stand gives the ground a new-age feel as the facilities on offer are of a world class standard and are just 15 years old.

At the City End there is a slim, tall stand which gives spectators an excellent view of the match from behind the bowler's arm, and behind it one will find the superb practice facilities.

The pitch used to be known as the liveliest in the country with plenty of bounce, and India were even bowled out for just 83 on the first morning of a Test match against New Zealand in 1999. However it has flattened out over the years to produce many high-scoring draws.

Unfortunately for this match, the monsoon leaves north India later than the rest of the country and so rain left over from the weather system is a possibility.

Last Time Out

However rain is not always a precursor to a draw. Or at least not when England are involved... In March 2006 they fell to their third defeat in five matches since the Ashes, thanks mostly to a second-innings collapse created by Anil Kumble and Munaf Patel.

Just 65 overs were possible on the opening two days, so half of the time available for the match had passed by the time England, who had won the toss and elected to bat first, were eventually bowled out for 300. Kumble took five for 76 as he reached 500 wickets in his 105th Test, while Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Geraint Jones all posted half-centuries.

In reply India scored 338 to register a slight first-innings lead, Rahul Dravid top scoring with 95, but that proved plenty when England were rolled for just 181 in their second innings as Kumble and Patel took four wickets apiece.

A target of 143 was easy for India, who achieved it for the mere loss of Wasim Jaffer as Virender Sehwag and Dravid saw the hosts to victory and a 1-0 lead going into the final match of the three-Test series.

They Said...

"The rain has meant that the pitch is a bit underprepared and we need two hours of sunshine to dry it out nicely." - Curator Daljit Singh speaks to the media at approximately 11am on the day before the second Test.

"It looks like a good batting surface. Every time India has played here we've put on a good score so this is a good opportunity for our batsmen to perform. It's always had some help for everyone. It might take a little more time to settle down and might be a bit slow at first." - India skipper Anil Kumble ahead of the Mohali clash.

Happy Hunting Ground

The traditional extra bounce on offer has not just been kind to the seamers - it also helps Anil Kumble's style. In seven Tests at the venue he's taken 36 wickets at an average of 30. India will be hoping he recovers for the clash, especially as his spin partner Harbhajan Singh has had limited success with the ball here, taking 10 wickets at 34.20 in three matches.

In contrast to Kumble, Zaheer Khan has had a wretched time here, sending down 65 overs over two Tests and picking up just a single wicket.

On the batting side of things VVS Laxman has the most impressive record out of the current crop, averaging 128.50 after three Tests. Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir also have good records here, averaging 85.40 and 73 respectively, although the latter has played just one Test here.

Meanwhile Rahul Dravid has scored 470 runs here - the most of any batsman - at 58.75, while Sachin Tendulkar has scored 459 runs at 51.00.

Weather Forecast

It may have rained for much of the morning on the day before the match but the forecast is encouraging, with five days of sun predicted.

Conclusion

At the time of writing - midday local time - the sun was threatening to give Mr. Singh the two hours of drying time he needed. That said he has been limited in preparation time and predictions of a slow first-day pitch are likely to prove correct.

It's difficult to say what the toss winner will do, although no side has lost here after electing to field first. Any decision on that front is likely to be left until the morning of the match when conditions can be assessed.

Generally this pitch does not deteriorate to the same level as most Indian wickets, and it proved a fantastic track during the Indian Premier League when it produced plenty of bounce and high scores.

All of which suggests that the batsmen are likely to enjoy it and, barring any England-style collapse, a draw could well be on the cards.

Tristan Holme in Mohali