The rank turner in Pune was supposed to help home spinners but Australia ruled the roost as they sealed a comprehensive 333-run victory over India in the first Test.
Do you think India made a mistake with their choice of pitch?
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AJIT VIJAYKUMAR, Deputy News Editor, SAYS YES
There has been a lot of discussion about the wicket that was provided for the first Test in Pune. Already, the blame game has started with the local curator deflecting all questions to the BCCI’s chief pitch expert. Many are wondering why such a dustbowl was prepared in the first place.
I too believe there was no need to have such a wicket. India had been unbeaten in their home season before the first Test against Australia – a run of eight wins from nine matches. They managed that record after playing on ‘true’ pitches where the bounce was predictable and batsmen got enough opportunities to score runs. It had been up to the bowlers, both spinners and seamers, to work on the patience of the batsmen and force them to commit mistakes. Spin ace Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and pace spearhead Umesh Yadav had passed every test with flying colours, providing hope for success away from home as well – the main aim of Virat Kohli’s team.
As they say, if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. It is not clear who took the call to have a super dry wicket that started to crumble from the first day itself. Just last month, in the one-day match between India and England in Pune, the visitors scored 350 and India chased it down. So how did such a high-scoring venue suddenly turn into a snake pit? Anyhow, the wicket on offer was far from a good cricket wicket and the toss became crucial. Once the Aussies got their nose ahead, it was game over. Yes, India were far from good, but the pitch made them look downright poor.
That is not how India have been playing of late. Their batsmen’s gameplan is to bat long in the first innings and let their bowlers hammer away at the opposition, wearing them down with repeated jabs.
Also, the skill level of Ashwin and Jadeja becomes apparent on flatter Indian wickets where they can make the ball do things other spinners generally can’t.
There was no need for such a wicket where the toss becomes so crucial. Whether it was the management or the curator who made the decision of having such a pitch, it was clearly a mistake. India are strong enough to take on Australia on good wickets.
JOY CHAKRAVARTY, Regional Editor, SAYS NO
Did India miss a trick in the opening Test match of their series against Australia by preparing a track that started spitting and hissing from day one?
Hindsight would seem to suggest so. It was a classic case of those living by the sword dying from it. Spin was supposed to be the ace in India’s pack. However, they got trumped by Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon in the most unlikeliest of circumstances.
It is a well-known fact that Australian batsmen are not the most adept when it comes to facing the turning deliveries. They have struggled in the sub-continent conditions ever since the turn of the century, and this series should have been no different. At least that was the consensus when the Australian side landed for the four Test match series.
And it is the prerogative of the host team to choose the surface they want to play on. You would never expect Australia, England or South Africa to prepare spinning tracks against India. Every team wants the conditions as per their strength, and the opposition’s weakness.
Where India faltered was in executing their plans. More than the pitch, it is the ineptness shown by their batting that needs to be blamed for the fisaco in Pune.
Quite simply, India need similar tracks for the remainder of the series, and hope that their bowlers do a better job on it, after getting the backing of their batsmen who score enough runs to put the Australians under pressure.
Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are both still ways ahead of O’Keefe and Lyon in skills, experience and familiarity with the conditions.
But even they can’t do anything if the batsmen put up totals of 105 and 107.
Also, Indian fielding, which really has been world-class these last couple of years, was abysmal in Pune, with second-inning centurion Steve Smith dropped as many as four times. The age-old adage still holds true – catches do win matches.
There is a thought that on such pitches, the toss becomes a deciding factor. Not really. More than the toss, a score of 350-400 in the first innings is crucial.
