Filed under kolkata test match

There's an art to everything. including how to create a 22 yard cricket pitch.

Sadly, not many Indian's have mastered that art. our pitches are either dead or utterly unplayable -- when the art of cricket pitch is to give equal/enough encouragement to both batsman and bowlers.

Its rubbish to talk about every home team having its advantage. Australian pitches are 'relatively' quick & South African pitches seam-ing & English and New Zealand wickets swing.. yet, in all countries - you don't see dust coming out of pitch from the 2nd day of a test match, like Eden Gardens & Feroz Shah Kotla. batsman willing to apply himself, can score runs even on last day of a test match on all good pitches.

For thriller of a test match : ideal pitch should be when Day 1 starts with batsman : bowler ratio at 60:40, which gradually reverses as 40:60 by the last day (Day 5). Day 2 and 3 should always be batsman friendly days.

In India or at all Asian International cricket stadiums - Coin Toss plays a major role in deciding who will win the match, irrespective which team plays how. You win the coin, you win the match, or earn an easy draw.

Any cricket expert will tell you that, as a batsman, going on back-foot is lot tougher task than coming on front foot. In our domestic matches, pitches are hardly sporting, which fails to develop our young batsman enough that he can adjust to the bounce of foreign pitches.. fans feel its the pace of Aussie bowlers that trouble us - but its the 2 inch more height that ball gains on outside wickets around the world! Indian team recently have started to win test matches away from India purely because our batting is vastly experienced in Tendulkar, Laxman, Ganguly and Dravid.. but younger generation of Indian cricket is still too far from learning all the aspects of great batsmanship.. until Indian curators start making quality pitches!

No wonder we see so many one sided 5 days cricket matches & fans fail to fill the stadiums in huge numbers. I agree, International batsmen are getting too 'twentytwentweed' these days but condition of Indian 22 yard strips is not acceptable.

I read this story titled : India will soon have the best pitches, whose lie disheartened me and encouraged to write this post. I went ahead and voiced my opinion on Yahoo answers with a hope that someone somewhere will rise to fact to start making better pitches for our country!

Flawless Jaffer stands tall on Day 1 : 2nd test

Wanted : Pitch curators for India & Asia

Ganguly & Laxman rub it in on Pak : Day 2 story

Akmal - Misbah lead Pakistan fight-back on Day 3

India push for win, Pak eyes draw : Day 4

Gutsy Pakistan earn draw, keep series alive