Poll: Is the criticism against turning tracks in India justified?

India and SA have been locked into a battle in the ongoing Test series which has witnessed low scores and has been dominated by the bowlers due to the challenging pitches on offer. The conditions have been the same for both teams and most batsmen have either failed to adjust their games accordingly or simply thrown their wicket away playing loose shots. There has been immense criticism of the pitches since there has been a lot of turn on offer owing to which two Tests have barely lasted for 3 days.

Test cricket is special and the most challenging format of the game, for a simple reason that it tests a cricketer’s ability to the fullest. Different conditions and different pitches are a part and parcel of this great game. As long as a pitch is not dangerous which may pose serious injury concerns for players, it cannot be labelled unsporting just because it proves challenging for the batsmen.

India has produced surfaces according to the strength of its team and there isn’t anything wrong with this. Every country tries to play to its strength in home conditions and this is a well-known fact. When India travels to countries like South Africa, England and Australia it is presented with green pitches which are labelled as ‘sporting tracks’ for some reason.

Twitter has been flooded with comments from some eminent personalities about the Nagpur surface. The former England captain Michael Vaughan tweeted, “20 Wkts fall in a day … Poor Batting… #MyArse #ShockingPitch #Nagpur #INDvSA.” One would like to remind Mr.Vaughan about the pitch provided at Lord’s when India beat England in 2014 to win the second Test. All that could be seen on the surface was grass and was more relatable with the centre court at the Wimbledon than a cricket pitch. India didn’t complain though and to their credit took up the challenge in a brilliant manner.

Glenn Maxwell called the pitched diabolical while Matthew Hayden stated that he is disappointed to see the quality of Test cricket being reduced to this extent. It is baffling that Australia keeps providing flat surfaces where batsmen score double hundreds and matches end in draws, but their cricketers criticise the Indian pitches. A tweet from the New Zealand cricketer Jimmy Neeshan seems an apt reply for these two Aussies. The Kiwi tweeted, “People can complain about pitches all they want, but this is a hell of a lot more entertaining to watch than the Perth Test.”

One must not forget that the Ashes series in 2015 witnessed two Test matches that finished on the 3rd day with Australia being bowled out for 136 and 60 in the first innings of the 3rd and 4th Test respectively. There was grass left on the surface after England lost the Lord’s Test that was played on a flat pitch. England clearly produced the kind of pitches that would assist their swing bowlers and trouble the Australian batsmen. It seemed no one was in a mood to complain that time.

Also read: Twitter Reactions: Enormous reactions as the Nagpur pitch turns square

The recently retired Michael Clarke tweeted, “Good cricket = Something for everyone. Swing and seam early, good for batting, spin day 3,4,5. Someone wins and someone loses.” An apt reply was given by Herschelle Gibbs, “@MClarke23 why not something completely different pup? No test should ever be the same just for the sake of lasting 5 days.” In 2011 at Cape Town South Africa got bowled out for 96 and in reply the Aussies only managed 47 in their second innings. The match lasted only 3 days and again no one complained since SA got their act together and registered a successful run chase. We have seen wide open cracks at Perth in the past, where the commentator has actually put his hand in to check the depth during pitch report. Again everyone seemed fine with this kind of a surface.

It is fascinating to see the contest between the bat and the ball with fielders around the bat looking to pounce onto sharp chances. It is also great to see batsmen being tested to the optimum which hardly happens on the flat pitches in any form of the game especially the shorter ones. This current Indian Test team has batsmen who are not as dominant and confident against spin as the previous generation which had some legendary names. By providing turning tracks they have also taken up the challenge since South Africa also has fine spinners in Simon Harmer and Imran Tahir.

When India did the same against England in 2012 it backfired since Swann and Panesar were at their best along with KP and skipper Alastair Cook with the bat. England won the series playing better cricket than India and deserved the credit they got. This is exactly what the current team deserves having played better cricket than the Proteas rather than the unwanted attention that has been given to the surfaces.

We will definitely come across such strips from time to time and matches may not always last 5 days. That is the beauty of the sport that it keeps throwing up different challenges on different surfaces. The likes of Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and AB de Villiers in the current series have applied themselves better than others, used their feet well, got to the pitch of the ball and counter-attacked when needed hence have been able to score runs and with that showing that there are no ghosts and the wickets are not unplayable.

We’d like to know from fans if the criticism of turning tracks is justified or not. Vote to express your opinions.

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