The long game: Inside MLB's big bet on India's baseball future

Chennai - India's quest for a cricket gold at the Asian Games will kick off against Pakistan in the quarterfinals on September 28, possibly at the newly built Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan. The venue has been transformed from three baseball grounds, presenting a larger playing area compared to Hangzhou's Asiad grounds, where the shortest boundary measured 65 meters, approximately 10 meters longer than its predecessor.

The Asian Cricket Council collaborated with Sri Lanka Cricket, who dispatched Asitha Wijayasinghe, curator of Kandy's Pallekele International Stadium, to aid in pitch preparation. Given Pallekele's reputation for high-scoring matches, it's likely that the Nisshin ground will also see a significant number of runs. Four turf pitches and a hybrid pitch, combining natural clay and synthetic fibers, will facilitate quicker gameplay and better resource utilization.

The local clay used for the pitches offers both pace for fast bowlers and grip for spinners. Yet, one of the major concerns for the organizers is the potential threat of typhoons, which are frequent in Japan during the Asiad window. To address this, the ground features a reinforced sand base to enhance water absorption; however, it's acknowledged that it may not match the best drainage systems worldwide due to the limited budget for construction.