Death knell of Test in Ahmedabad
It was only a few days back that the International Cricket Council's cricket committee and Marylebone Cricket Club met in Dubai to discuss ways to rescue Test cricket's popularity.
They felt that Test cricket should make people appreciate the skills of cricket better and an intense battle between the bat and ball is a necessity.
The Ahmedabad Sardar Patel stadium's pitch can be the perfect example of the type of wicket that could ruin the popularity of Test cricket. It is such dead wickets that will ring the death knell of Test cricket.
Imagine the state of the spectators who helplessly watch runs being piled up with the bowlers not getting any help from the wicket. A total of 1186 runs were scored in four days by both the teams from their first innings alone; and it ended only because Sri Lanka declared after losing seven wickets.
Bowlers have to bowl and pray for the batsman to commit a mistake. No doubt the Indian bowling attack lacks penetration, but the same cannot be said for Sri Lanka.
The wicket was so dull that even the world's highest wicket taker, Muttiah Muralitharan, looked mediocre.
Organisers would love to ensure five full days of cricket, but that cannot happen by creating such boring wickets. It is high time that venues with placid wickets are banned.
Training
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should immediately provide training to the curator of the Ahmedabad wicket on how to come up with sporting wickets. Interestingly, the BCCI has a pitches committee made up of experts; one wonders what their role is?
Or are they deliberately silent to ensure maximisation of revenue from the match?
These are times when people can pick and choose the type of cricket they wish to see, especially with the Twenty20 format winning many hearts.
Every spectator would like to get value for the money they spend on their tickets. Even television viewers may be forced to switch off the channel if such boring battles are dished out.
It is time cricket authorities realise that they have an obligation to the paying public and present them with a keen battle. Gone are the days when people loved slow cricket and admired every stroke from a batsman. If Test matches continue to be like the one in Ahmedabad where 1598 runs were scored with only 21 wickets falling after five days of battle, then the future of Test cricket certainly looks bleak.
