Rarely is the expedient way the best way
The England batsmen have been made to struggle in Ahmedabad and the inconvenience of India's recent string of losses overseas has expertly been swept under the carpet like an embarrassing mess, writes Greg Chappell
ESPNcricinfo staff
25-Feb-2013
The England batsmen have been made to struggle in Ahmedabad and the inconvenience of India's recent string of losses overseas has expertly been swept under the carpet like an embarrassing mess, writes Greg Chappell in the Hindu.
I expected India to win in India, but I did hope that the response to the poor touring record would have been more creative than to deny England practice against spin bowling in the lead-up match and then confront them with spin on a dust bowl. I would be surprised if this was M.S. Dhoni's idea. The Dhoni I knew would have taken a more global, long-term view which envisioned India strong at home and very competitive away.
Also in the Hindu, Nirmal Shekar says, "Success on designer pitches offers the Indian team a false sense of security which can lead it down a slippery slope."
You can argue that it would be boring if Test cricket were to be played on the same kind of pitches all over the world. This is very true, and the point that I am trying to make here is not one that advocates uniformity of playing surfaces. Every country has its own special flavour and a true cricket fan should love to savour it. Yet, it is one thing to celebrate difference; quite another to turn desperation into a timely gift and prepare conspicuously bad pitches for Test cricket so that the home team might profit from it.