Mumbai: The 22-yard dry, powdery strip during the ongoing Freedom Series between India and South Africa is hogging most of the limelight. With Tests finishing within three days, the pitch has drawn a lot of flak from the visitors.
Watch: Dean Elgar slams Mohali pitch, says it's not a very good cricket wicket
While India skipper Virat Kohli clarified there is no “policy” of preparing spinning tracks, former India captain Sourav Ganguly was unapologetic about Indian pitches. Ganguly, who is the fifth highest run-scorer in ODIs with 11,363 runs, said teams who visit the sub-continent will have to learn to play spin.
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“Every team utilises their home advantage and India have used it, that’s the way it is. Teams who come to the subcontinent have to learn how to play spin, that’s what you are going to get here. The ball is going to turn, it’s going to bounce. You need to find a way to play,” Ganguly said, on the sidelines of ‘Support My School’, a social campaign organised by NDTV on Sunday.
India humbled South Africa with two days to spare in the series-opener at Mohali before repeating the feat in another episode in Nagpur (third Test) on Friday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series against the world's top ranked test team.
Forty wickets toppled in Nagpur with 40 being the top score, by India opener Murali Vijay. With low-scoring matches in the series, Ganguly, who registered 16 tons and 35 half-centuries in Tests, believes that bowlers have done well with a little help from the surface.
“Bowlers have had a lot of help from the surface. The ball has really turned a lot. In Mohali (first Test) and Nagpur, it has really turned a lot too,” he said.
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The series win also gave skipper Kohli his maiden win at home. Ganguly, who took over the reins from Indian icon Sachin Tendulkar after the match-fixing scandal in 2000 and took India to the World Cup final in 2003, lavished praise on the 27-year-old Kohli. “Virat is a terrific young player and has done really well. I have got a lot of faith in him,” he added.
However, for the first time in 138 years, the longer format created history being played under lights. The Day and Night Test match Down Under between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide turned many heads.
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Many former cricketers did not endorse the design but ‘Dada’ (fondly called) batted for it. “Five-day Test cricket is fine. Day and night cricket is the way forward. It’s going to bring back crowds to the ground. You saw that in Adelaide. I am convinced that it is the way forward in Indian Test cricket as well and you will see that happening. The pink cherry will absolutely work,” Ganguly pointed out.
Ganguly was recently appointed Technical Committee Chairman after BCCI’s ‘Operation Clean-Up’, a move by President Shashank Manohar.
The conflict of interest clause too, had seen many prominent members from the Board forfeit their job. When asked if the clause is the right step ahead for Indian cricket, Ganguly — also the president of Cricket Association of Bengal — chose not to comment but promised a better avenue for the sport.
“I will have to go through it (conflict of interest) a bit more. I have not been through it that much, so I won’t be able to comment. The committee (Technical Committee) decides on the rules, regulations and the laws of how to take cricket forward. I’ve been in that committee before and we’ll find a way,” he said.
Also Read: Sourav Ganguly cover drives Shashank Manohar question
Not long ago, Ganguly was on the pitch in the United States, part of Sachin’s Blasters in the Cricket All Stars T20 League. Getting back to cricket again was a lot of fun for the southpaw, who had an aggressive approach to the game. Although the Blasters fell prey to loss against Shane Warne’s Warriors, Ganguly thoroughly enjoyed the moment.
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“It was great to be part of that venture. I missed the first one as I had to attend a meeting and the next two I played were lovely. The stadiums, opportunities and the way it was organised was fabulous,” he said.
With the commotion going around the speculated India-Pakistan bilateral series in December, Ganguly said: “I have been reading in the newspapers that it might not happen. I have been reading that the Government may not give clearance. With India-Pakistan cricket, until the first ball is not bowled it’s never on. I don’t know where it will ultimately finish,” he quipped.
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