Doctored pitches

Team India is savouring its test series win against the Proteas to end a ten-year drought, but the pitches at Mohali and gpur have taken away the flavour. Batsmen had a hard time sticking onto the dusty pitches with the surfaces breaking apart from Day One. On the second day of the gpur test which finished inside three days, as many as 20 wickets collapsed. Team India skipper Virat Kohli has defended the home advantage and credited his side for its desire to win, but has at the same time admitted that his batsmen have not been up to the mark. Including the match washed out in Bengaluru, not a single century has been scored so far in the three tests with India 2-0 up. The fourth and fil test at Delhi has thus been reduced to a dead rubber; even otherwise, the Ferozeshah Kotla ground does not inspire enthusiasts of good cricketing fare. Surely, there has been a decline in test batting skills with ‘auctioned’ cricketers running after big money in slam-bang cricket of the T20 variety. But preparing spin-friendly pitches is an indirect vote of no-confidence in our batsmen, while making redundant fast bowlers Indian cricket has been flailing around to nurture. Australia and South Africa too have their bouncy pitches, while the ball seams and swings outrageously in England and New Zealand. To neutralise such home advantage, the Intertiol Cricket Council (ICC) is now reportedly mulling giving visiting teams the option of batting or bowling first depending on pitch conditions, to pelise countries preparing doctored pitches, or to take over the responsibility of preparing test pitches.

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