Dead pitches are killing cricket in India!

While I was watching India plunder the Lankan attack at Rajkot, I couldn’t help but wonder about the poor state of our wickets. When Lanka responded the way they did I was utterly shattered. My nationality was surely not the cause of this disappointment – remember India had won- but it was the utter disdain that the bowlers were treated with and I couldn’t help but despise the fans around me who hailed it as one of the great matches.

The match was a killer all right and everyone went home happy. India for being the winners, Lanka for coming that close to a 415 target and the viewers for getting every penny’s worth.

Yes, there were some outstanding knocks played and it was a close game of cricket and a last ball decision would suggest a thrilling encounter. I profoundly disagree as I could feel the thrill and excitement for only the last 30-40 balls of Srilankan innings and that sums up to mere 30 minutes of cricket. So what was happening for the rest of 6+ hours? All I can recall from those 6 odd hours is the fact that there were some mere mortals delivering the cricket ball and were being dismissed out to the woods- not much fun. Captain had nothing more to do but to try and hand over the ball to anyone who could go for less than 10 an over- really sad.

The true cricket fan would have surely missed the lack of fight between the ball and the bat- I did. I cannot see this taking our sport too far. Someone needs to realize that we are actually killing this sport with the kind of unsporting batting beauties. Soon individual 200 would be overwhelmed in a one day game and soon there will be a 25 ball hundred but would it all be worth? - I guess not.

There would soon be too many “Great” batsmen and too few “Great” bowlers and we would have a Coliseum where bowlers would step up to be slaughtered all in the name of entertainment. I shudder to think of that day but it’s not too far away. Cricket in India is at the gallows.

PS: A lot of talk has been centered on reviving test cricket. The test matches being played around the world over the last few weeks have been excellent advertisement for the game unlike ODI’s in our part of the world.

England v South Africa went till the last ball on day 5 while Windies came as close as 30 odd to upset the Aussies. Anyone who watched those games would agree that Test cricket is alive and kicking around the world and as I had mentioned earlier, just the pitches can make a world of difference to how the game can move forward.

We don't really need a major upheaval as perceived by too many expert voices rather we need the establishments- especially in India- to realize that their myopic view will kill our beloved sport- forever.