Why Nagpur pitch should not be repeated
“There is nothing wrong in preparing tracks to suit the home side, but the tracks that poses problems to even a set batsman is something to look at”
The last few Test matches in India have not lasted more than three days. The Test match between Australia and India finished in three days. The two-Test series between India and West Indies finished in three days. And the two Test matches played in this series are also likely to end in three days.
However, there was no question raised on the pitch in the two-Test series against West Indies, and also during Australia series as India managed to put runs on the board. However, in the two Test matches - Mohali and Nagpur the home team hasn’t been able to put enough runs on the board, which now raises the quality of pitch prepared for this Test match.
First, one has to admit that there’s nothing wrong in preparing tracks that suit the home side, and stick to the tradition and specialty of each country’s pitches. When you travel to England, you would want to play on swinging pitches, when you travel to South Africa, you would like to play on seaming and bouncy wickets, and when you travel to Australia, you would expect pace and bouncy wickets. Similarly, when you come to India, you should expect turning tracks.
At the same time, apart from preparing pitches that suit home side, it is important to prepare wickets that should not pose too many questions to the batsman, and keep the batsman guessing literally every ball. It should not have any difficulties to a set batsman, and should provide fair contest between bat and ball.
However, that isn’t the case at Nagpur. The batsmen were not able to judge how much the ball would turn, or whether it would kick-off from the surface or would keep low, or would the ball stop and come on to the bat. When you have a surface behaving like this, it would be extremely difficult for even a set batsman to carry on.
As a batsman when you are faced with this kind of situation, you would be more tentative about your shot selection. The reason is if you are looking to drive the ball and the ball stops, you are in trouble. Even if you are looking to play off the back-foot, and the ball stops before coming on to the bat, you are in trouble.
Also, when you are looking to play off the back-foot and if the ball keeps low, then you are in trouble. AB de Villers dismissals off Jadeja, Pujara’s dismissal against JP Duminy are clear examples of it. Therefore, these types of pitches produce more one-dimensional cricket match and does not offer great joy.
By preparing these kinds of surfaces, Test cricket’s beauty is spoiled. Test cricket’s specialty is testing players’ skills in different aspects of the game. There would be a period where batsmen work hard to survive the new ball, and subsequently, the bowlers work hard to build the pressure on the batsman when the seam gets softer, and later they would be waiting for the second new-ball to get wickets.
Thereafter, when the wicket starts to deteriorate, they would be expecting the spinners to come into the party. This is what Test match is all about, and the kind of cricket we have seen so far has sadly been pretty much one-sided.
However, many of them have argued that India gets green top when they go abroad, and therefore, India has the right to have spinning tracks. But one has to understand that a green wicket gets better to bat as the Test match progresses, and also brings spinners into the game later if the conditions become dry.
That is why if the batsman can survive in the first hour on a green wicket, they would be able to put runs on the board. Thus, a green wicket provides fair contest between both bat and ball, and also tests the skills of a player in various aspects of the game.
I am not saying to prepare green tops in India, but preparing pitches that turns from day one will only get worse. Prepare pitches in such a way that the quicks have some sort of assistance on Day 1, and let the batsman take control over Day 2, and towards the end of Day 3, let the pitch start to turn with consistent bounce.
India’s Test win against South Africa in 2010 at Kolkata produced a wicket that had sharp turn and consistent bounce. Thus, this kind of surface will keep everyone in the game, and will certainly not produce one-dimensional cricket.
Also, this kind of surfaces will allow the Indian batsman to play Test cricket in its traditional way, and not rush for runs. They can bide their time out at the crease, and once set, they can make a huge impact in the match.
India may win the series against South Africa at Nagpur after 11 years, but certainly not with their own skills, and outstanding display. With India likely to play 15 Test matches at home next year, hopefully, we get to see some good cricketing pitch that tests various skills of a player.