The Hindu : What's in a pitch?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 17, 2003

Sport

Sport - Cricket

What's in a pitch?

By Vijay Lokapally

KOLKATA NOV. 16. "What's in a pitch. If you're good, don't think about the pitch. Just go out and do your job.'' Two great performers from the past — Kapil Dev and G. R. Visvanath — shared this opinion, and were not known to spend sleepless nights, worrying over the state of the playing surface.

Most great cricketers never allowed the pitch to dictate their game. Bishan Singh Bedi had this great quality to revel in unfriendly conditions. Michael Holding was not known to make enquiries about the pitch. Imran Khan was another to discourage discussions regarding the pitch.

But the trend has changed and most modern cricketers keep themselves regularly updated on the nature of the pitch. The curator happens to be the best friend of the cricketers, especially the bowlers. More if the conditions happen to be similar to those in the sub-continent.

The sight of Indian players hovering around the pitch on the eve of the match is common. This visit to the middle, to inspect the 22-yard-strip, is most significant. The frown on their faces gives the secret away, grass leaves the batsmen with a scowl, and it is the writ of the captain that rules.

In the current scenario, Sourav Ganguly calls the shots, much to the chagrin of the curator and the ground staff, of course, with the royal exception of the team of loyal workers at the Eden Gardens.

The Indian team is said to have demanded a turner for the match at Mumbai. And the demand was met. The belter at Bangalore did not really go down well with the team management. The message was well received at Hyderabad, and things look rosy here.

The Eden Gardens is decked up for the grand finale and Sourav Ganguly, the uncrowned prince of this sports-crazy metropolis, made sure things were in order with a quick visit to the venue this afternoon.

Ganguly's obsession with the pitch is quite well known. So is his insistence on bald tracks, of course, depending upon the opposition. Not many officials connected with pitch preparation across the country would agree with the India captain's methods but then they would not welcome a confrontation at this point.

So, the visit by Ganguly was obviously aimed at leaving last-minute instructions with the curator, Prabir Mukherjee, who has promised an ideal pitch. "The ball will come on nicely'' promises the curator.

The Indians would obviously love a slow turner. The kind which saw them win the Hero Cup in 1993. Only, the nightmare of that 1996 World Cup semifinal loss to Sri Lanka raises certain apprehensions regarding doctored pitches. Can they afford to take a chance? What if the toss favours the opponent?

Hence, the need to be cautious when preparing the pitch for a contest of this magnitude. On the big night, in order to win, the team needs to play quality cricket and not worry about the playing surface.

Great teams, and good players, perform in all conditions. So why worry about the pitch if you claim to be one great, performing outfit. Remember what the established greats of the past had to say on the eve of the match. Just go out and do your job.

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