Thursday, Nov 25, 2004
Thursday, Nov 25, 2004 |
| Sport | ||||
|
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | Sport
By Vijay Lokapally
WHAT A BEAUTY: Jacques Kallis (left) and wicket-keeper Thami Tsolekile watch Boeta Dippenaar come up with a spectacular effort to pouch Harbhajan Singh off Robin Peterson. — PTI
KANPUR, NOV. 24. The spectators deserved a salute from the players and the administrators for supporting the game with their overwhelming presence at the Green Park with a whole day of cricket reduced to meaningless formalities on a heartbreaking pitch for the bowlers. Resuming at 401 for four, India lost wickets to an inspired Makhaya Ntini as South Africa gained a first innings lead of 44 runs. And then it was an extended session of `nets' literally as the South Africans prepared for the next Test at Kolkata, beginning three days from now. "Such a pitch (only for batsmen) is not good for Test cricket," said Virender Sehwag. He was sporting enough to push his exploits to the background and bravely speak on an issue that must engage the attention of the Board, given the fact that it has entrusted the job of pitch preparation to the Grounds and Wickets Committee (GWC).
What patience!
Even conceding that a large percentage of the public had not paid to watch the dull proceedings, the patience they displayed was exemplary. The pitch evoked condemnation from various quarters even as the BCCI Secretary, S.K. Nair, confirmed the matter would be discussed for appropriate remedial action. It was not that the Indian team was not aware of the nature of the pitch. "The pitch has been prepared in consultation with the team management. This is exactly the kind of pitch they had asked for. They wanted a batting track, dry and brown," said the GWC Chairman Venkat Sunderam. He was reacting to the growing criticism of his committee, especially from some key members of the home team. Given the circumstances, this was the best the GWC could have managed, Sunderam maintained. The pitch at the Green Park had not been tested adequately and the curator, with a new team at his disposal, obviously was not prepared to experiment.
Equipment arrives
"Our job involves monitoring the quality of the pitches in the country but the final say in this matter rests with the curator," said Sunderam. Thanks to his initiative, modern equipment needed to prepare better pitches arrived in India on Wednesday, raising hopes of an improvement in this area and a step in the right direction following the mundane proceedings on the final day of this Test. The bowlers struggled on a benign surface. The lack of pace and bounce in the surface made a mockery of the occasion and the Test meandered to a dull finish, testing the patience of the audience. The pitch showed no perceptible change in behaviour even in the last session of the final day. "Why do we have such pitches for Test cricket?" Harbhajan Singh had asked. The Indians' fury at the pitch was understandable since the team management had specifically asked for a decent track. "At least bounce," as Sourav Ganguly pointed out. The India coach John Wright is understood to have requested a batting pitch and must have little to complain in this regard. It was a beauty, the batsmen would agree without exception but "no grass, no bounce, no moisture, no lateral movement" left the bowlers shattered.
Blame it on the curator
"Pitch making is not our area. It is the curator's job. All I can is that we play on what the curator gives. You know what happened at Nagpur (against Australia). This pitch was very flat and there was nothing much for the bowlers. The South Africans batted too slowly on the first two days for a result to happen. Our spinners did a good job," said Ganguly in defence of his mates. Barring Sehwag's exploits, it was a most forgettable Test match in recent times. "Virender batted well and put us under pressure. Ours was a solid performance and we handled the pressure well. I'm happy with the way the match went for the youngsters. It was a very special Test for us," said South Africa captain Graeme Smith. It was probably more so for Andrew Hall, who was adjudged the `man of the match'. "Will try and win the game (at Kolkata)," said Ganguly as he signed off. One learns that instructions have been issued for a favourable pitch at the Eden Gardens. The Indians cannot afford a drawn home series close on the heels of a loss.
Unchanged squad
Meanwhile, the National selectors have retained the same Indian team for the second Test starting in Kolkata on November 28. Sourav Ganguly's inclusion is subject to the clearance from International Cricket Council, which will give the decision on Thursday after a tele-conference with the Indian captain in New Delhi.
SCOREBOARD
510 for nine decl.
South Africa bowling: Pollock 38-11-100-2 (nb-2), Ntini 39-0-135-3 (nb-4), Peterson 21-2-90-0, Hall 25.4-7-93-3 (nb-1), de Bruyn 11-3-29-1.
India bowling: Zaheer 8-2-26-0 (nb-4), Kumble 21-8-52-0, Harbhajan 16-5-39-2, Kartik 14-6-17-2 (nb-1), Tendulkar 5-0-18-0.
Printer friendly
page
News:
Front Page |
National |
Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh |
Karnataka |
Kerala |
New Delhi |
Other States |
International |
Opinion |
Business |
Sport |
Miscellaneous |
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2004, The
Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu
|
