From slow-low to a belter
Over 400 runs were blasted at the Feroze Shah Kotla in the IPL game between Delhi Daredevils and Kings XI Punjab on Saturday
But how did the usually low-slow Kotla, so frustrating for batsmen, become a belter? It's because Saturday's game was played on a side track and not one of the three centre wickets. The centre strips are bare without a speck of grass and have been low and sluggish ever since they have been re-laid in 2010. "The grass just refuses to grow on the centre wickets. It could be because of the layer of soil underneath or due to wear and tear. Wickets on either side have a healthy coverage of grass," DDCA's grounds and pitches committee chairman Venkat Sundaram said.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo