The Hindu : Sport : Kotla pitch not so bad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
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Kotla pitch not so bad

Rakesh Rao

— Photo: S. Subramanium

HERO OF KOTLA: Anil Kumble, who had a double delight winning his first Test as captain and the Man-of-the-Match award, was all praise for the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch.

NEW DELHI: It is almost fashionable to slam the pitch at the Ferozeshah Kotla. On the eve of every international match, the character of the playing surface comes under scrutiny. The slow and low nature of the pitch is often misunderstood as a ‘bad’ Test pitch.

Different look

But the likes of Anil Kumble or V.V.S. Laxman sounded refreshingly different when analysing the pitch here. Remember, Kumble was the most successful bowler of the first Test with seven wickets and Laxman lifted India from an embarrassing 93 for five in the first innings with a chanceless unconquered 72.

“Since the bounce was slow and low, it was difficult to get a batsman out once he spent some time in the middle,” said Laxman, the man who is surely qualified to make this statement since he remained unbeaten in both innings.

“Just look the way Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed batted in the second innings. It was great that Anil (Kumble) got the first three wickets (including that of Younis Khan),” said Laxman as he substantiated his point of view on the pitch. One must not forget Laxman’s splendid catch at silly point to get rid of Hameed.

Create doubts

Kumble, who has added another reason to be pleased with the Kotla pitch, said, “on a wicket like the one here, it is important to create doubts in the mind of a batsman by constantly making bowling changes. One who can stay longer at the crease is bound to do well. On such pitches it is not easy to come and start playing your shots straightaway.”

Certainly, Kumble’s ability to vary the pace of his deliveries helped him fox the batsmen. His disciplined line and length proved effective in spite of the surface not helping spinners. This factor, coupled with his vast experience, made Kumble look far more effective than Danish Kaneria in the second innings.

Good bowling

Looking back, all the apprehensions regarding the pitch proved misplaced. Laxman could not remember a single wicket falling due to the vagaries of the pitch. “The bowlers from both sides bowled well.”

Kumble pointed to the fact that the match had ended on the final day. “I thought it was good Test match,” concluded the skipper.

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