Wright urges faster pitches

Chanting an often-heard mantra in Indian cricket, John Wright has called for faster pitches in India. "It is more of a mindset," Wright told Reuters in Bangalore, after a coaching camp for the India A team. "There are some pitches resembling those overseas. It is just a matter of how much grass (is left on the pitches)."

Interacting with local coaches, Wright was providing inputs to revitalise the standard of India's first-class cricket. Fattened on a diet of flat tracks at home, Indian batsmen have often floundered abroad. Astoundingly, India haven't won a Test series outside south Asia for the past 17 years, while losing just one home series during the same period.

Wright refused to name Indian curators as prime suspects. "It may not be the wickets. It may be the ability to adjust, " he said, mentioning that his players ought to adapt more quickly overseas. He didn't mention how Indian captains, including Sourav Ganguly, are allergic to curators preparing green tracks for India's international cricket at home.

India host New Zealand in October in a three-match Test series, which will be followed by a triangular one-day tournament also involving Australia.