Established: 1945
Capacity: 45,000
Floodlights: Yes
Ends: Mill Pavilion End, Hostel End
Home Team: Uttar Pradesh
Head Groundsman: Shiv Kumar
Test History: 20 Tests (5 home wins, 3 away wins, 12 draws)
Last Ten Tests: 4 home wins, 1 away win, five draws
Last Ten tosses: 10 batted first (3 wins, 2 loss, 5 draws)

Overview
Formerly known as Modi Stadium, Green Park is situated near the Ganges River in Kanpur, one of the most polluted cities in India.

The stadium has undergone many changes since its establishment in 1945 and thus lacks the tradition of other Test grounds. The majority of spectators remain uncovered, while the low-slung floodlights were first used during a Test against South Africa in 2004.

A fairly unpopular venue in the north of India, the hosts will be cursing the decision to play here given that the pitch has a history of containing less life than a morgue. Almost two-thirds of all Tests have been drawn here, with the region's soil being part of the problem in that it encourages neither pace nor bounce.

Hence the ground has produced some memorable batting performances, the most recent being Shahid Afridi's 45-ball century in a one-day international back in 2005.

Last Time Out
The third and final Test between India and South Africa was remembered for Green Park's under-prepared surface which led to the ICC issuing an official warning to the BCCI for preparing a poor quality pitch.

It started all so well for the South Africans after they won the toss and elected to bat first. Their 265 with half-tons from Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis didn't seem too bad. However, it all went downhill for the visitors after that. India amassed 325 courtesy 87 from Sourav Ganguly and 50 from VVS Laxman. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Paul Harris all claimed three wickets.

The real action took place in South Africa's second innings. They started batting shortly before lunch on day three and the pitch was so bad that Harbhajan Singh was asked to open the bowling. He, along with Virender Sehwag, duly ran through South Africa's line-up as they crumbled to 121 all out. India needed just 13.1 overs and 57 minutes in the final session to chase down the target of 62 to square the series.

The visitors complained after the game about the quality of the pitch and the BCCI was forced to hold an "inspection" after the game.

Happy Hunting Ground
Virender Sehwag scored 164 in his first innings at the ground is the only record worthy of note for the batsmen. Harbhajan Singh didn't have the best of time with the ball in Ahmedabad, but if history is anything to go by, then there will be plenty of joy for him this time around. In his three matches at this ground, Bhajji has picked up 15 wickets at an average of 27.10. After opening the bowling last time out, he finished with figures of 23-7-44-4.

They Said...
"We are a major cricketing power, so we should get good venues and facilities," South Africa coach Mickey Arthur told Cricinfo after last year's Test. "But Kanpur, to our disappointment, was way below par in everything. It was a poor cricket wicket, though I can understand the reason behind it. But the practice facilities and the accommodation left a lot to be desired for an international venue."

"The wicket was turning square, and most of our spinners were bowling in the rough," India captain MS Dhoni following his team's comprehensive win. "So you find yourself keeping to some balls that would spin and some that wouldn't. I was quite happy with the way I kept, because some balls were kicking and some were keeping really low. The way our fast bowlers were bowling, it could hurt your fingers pretty badly. It was good fun though."

"People will see good cricket here. It looks there be a result," BCCI pitch and grounds committee chairman Daljit Singh.

"That Test was held in April and hot weather also had a role in that (failure). I had sent my report to the ICC and they were satisfied with the explanation. The weather is good this time and pitch is also better than the last time."

Weather forecast
As was the case with the first Test, keeping cool will be the only problem for the players over the course of the five days. Clear skies and temperatures in the high 20s are expected for the duration of the match.

Conclusion
After the Ahmedabad failed to produce any help for the Indians last week, the Kanpur groundsman will be eager to make sure there is assistance for the team's bowlers. However, following last year's debacle and with the Sri Lankans not short of quality spin bowling themselves it's unlikely that he will produce another dust bowl that crumbles on day three.

Captains winning the toss in the last 30 years have, without fail, batted first and it would be a huge surprise if that were not the case here. Should Kumar prepare the spinner-friendly pitch that we all expect, then neither side will want to bat last and the toss could prove extremely crucial.