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All the talk is on Mohali pitch now

By Vijay Lokapally

Photos: V.V. Krishnan

Sachin Tendulkar gets a feel of his new bat ahead of the second Test against New Zealand starting at Mohali on Thursday. Right: Stephen Fleming, the Kiwi skipper, flexes his muscles with a game of rugby during his team's training on Tuesday.

MOHALI OCT. 14. Sourav Ganguly's first stop at the PCA Stadium here was the playing strip. The variety of people flocking to see the pitch must have surprised the curator, Daljit Singh, too. The media, cops, ground staff, officials, all had a close look of the pitch. It was a sort of pilgrimage for everyone who visited the venue.

The curator, as usual, answered clichéd questions but also made a fervent plea to judge the playing surface `for yourself' over the next few days. The talk of bounce on this pitch, as reported in some quarters, seemed misplaced because the curator refused to commit himself on this subject. "It's a normal Mohali pitch. We've worked hard to produce a surface which would give everyone a decent chance,'' said Daljit, who revealed that heavy rolling had been avoided to encourage bounce.

The pitch happens to be the subject of a furious debate with the second Test of the series 48 hours away. Even as New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has maintained a dignified silence on the subject, Ganguly wasted no time in firing those involved in preparing the track for the first Test at Ahmedabad.

"It's all about adjustments. It's a huge challenge and we're relishing it,'' Fleming had remarked at the start of the tour when questioned about the team's approach towards the pitches in the sub-continent. Fleming expected the home team to exploit the advantage of playing in favourable conditions and has refused to make an issue of the quality of pitches his team was expected to encounter.

Daljit disclosed that the Grounds and Pitch Committee had the sanction of the Board to prepare the kind of wickets they deem fit for international cricket. "We've been given the authority and I must say that so far there's not been any kind of interference from the team management.'' What then prevented the ground staff all over the country to prepare lively tracks?

The Kiwi stand-in coach Ashley Ross summed it up well. "International cricket is all about playing in unfavourable environments. The aim is to survive and prosper. Looks like we'll have more pace in the pitch here. Already there are cracks on it. If there's grass too, then we've very good seam bowlers to exploit it.'' The visiting team has had its battle plans in shape.

John Wright, the affable India coach, read the situation differently. "I hope this pitch is different in nature from the last wicket we played on. I hope there's more bounce. In any case, we've to play on the pitches we're given. We need to make the most of it. I hope there's balance between the bat and the ball. We hope for a little home advantage.''

The Indians have always pressed for the home advantage but as Erapalli Prasanna recently commented, the playing conditions were conducive for all. "It wasn't that we had only rank turners in our times.'' Yet, the Indian bowlers would celebrate everytime their batsmen would cross the 200-mark. "A total of 225 used to be very encouraging for us,'' recalled Bishan Singh Bedi.

It is not the same anymore. The captain continues to defend his bowlers despite their failure to exploit the cushion of a huge total. The curator is blamed for the follies of the team. But Daljit promises the situation could well be different here. The big smile on the faces of the Indian bowlers gave enough indications of the role they saw for themselves at this scenic cricket venue.

Astle out of tri-series

The New Zealand camp meanwhile suffered a jolt when it was discovered that Nathan Astle would miss the forthcoming tri-series on account of a knee injury.

It was a matter involving his future and the veteran batsman had to return home than aggravate the injury, according to the manager Lindsay Crocker. His replacement would be Chris Nevin.

The teams had `nets' at the venue amidst reports that the public response to the Test has been encouraging. "You'll see a good cricket match,'' declared Daljit. We shall take his word for it!

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