Heavy roller and drying the pitch, how India won in ’08...
It was pre-planned as we had instructions to prepare an Indiansfriendly wicket, especially after India’s loss at Ahmedabad (in the second Test)
LUCKNOW: The main strip of the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur was in the news for all the wrong reasons when the third and final India-South Africa Test match in 2008 ended within three days.
The ‘dust-laden’ deliveries took Graeme Smith and company by surprise. What followed was the ‘listing’ of several shortcomings, including lifeless pitches that were unable to produce pace and bounce, faulty soil that added to the dust problem, to name a few— all of which only tarnished Uttar Pradesh’s lone Test centre.
However, this prompted the International Cricket Council to issue a threat of life-ban on the venue in the future, after being reported by match referee Roshan Mahanama. Surprisingly no one, including the BCCI pitch and grounds committee officials, came forward to own the blame, and instead let the issue take its time to settle.
“As per the instructions, we helped the surface lose its tightness. A heavy roller was used on the wicket and watering was stopped three days in advance. Everything appeared perfect for A KANPUR OFFICIAL, on 2008 series
the South Africa cricketers, but it was a ploy to trap them,” a stadium official told HT on Monday, on condition of anonymity.
“The top layer of the pitch was loosened, that’s why their batsmen found the conditions tough to handle.”
The visitors weren’t fooled. Coach Mickey Arthur said in Kanpur before the Test: “We expected such a wicket for this match after what happened in Ahmedabad (India lost by an innings). The wicket will go through the top very early, but we are prepared. We are quite confident.”
DUSTY DEATH
Skipper Graeme Smith blundered by choosing to bat first. After Ishant’s three-wicket haul, Harbhajan Singh (3/52) and legspinner Piyush Chawla (2/66) got the visitors out for 265 in their first essay. India posted 325 in reply before Harbhajan (4/44) and Sehwag (3/12) did the damage, skittling out South Africa for 121.
“That was a big damage to the reputation of the ground as we lost the hosting rights of a couple of matches. Tampering of wickets across the world is a common culture of the hosts’ country, but what we did with SA in 2008 was really shameful,” said a groundstaff.
However, he said that for the first ODI this month, there were ‘guarded instructions’ to prepare a slow turner as the plan was to not allow South Africa to score between 250-275 on any pitch, even when they batted first.
“The players, including captain, don’t give instructions. They come to us through the zonal chiefs, who receive instructions from the team management directly. We follow them but at the same time apply our mind to make sporting wickets,” he added. “It’s in the air that the board wants to prepare fast pitches to help groom cricketers. As per the new planning, we have been allowed to decide the size of the grass on the pitch, but to favour our players, we give flat wickets.”