‘It is a 23-year-old pitch, but it played well in recent matches’

Mohali: Amid intense speculation on the nature of the PCA pitch ahead of the opening Test between India and South Africa, chief curator Daljit Singh on Wednesday said the ageing track might be on the slower side but it will definitely be result-oriented.

"It's a normal Mohali wicket. Our pitch is 23-year-old, so it is not the same old fresh pitch as before. It is an ageing pitch, which has not been re-laid, but it has played well in the matches that have happened in the recent past.

"It might have slowed down a bit as it is an old pitch. Like humans, the pitch also grows old. We have repaired the footmarks that were left in the previous matches and it will certainly hold well," the former first-class player said. Daljit hopes that the track would turn out to be a sporting one.

"The main aim of the curator is to prepare a result-oriented track and that's what we have tried. The skills of the game should come on display, whether it is fast bowling, spin or bat. So we are hoping that it turns out to be a sporting track as there is prediction of rain as well on one of the days," he said.

With the Indian team management being very vocal about the pitches not favouring the hosts, Daljit said that the whole 'home' scenario is nothing new.

"Home advantage is nothing new. But it has its limitations as well. The character of the pitch will remain the same no matter what," Daljit said.

"We have not made the pitch looking at one team and it remains to be seen how it will behave. A curator does not decide the result of the match. Our job is to prepare the track and then it is up to the players to perform on it."

Asked whether the controversies regarding the nature of a wickets only happens in India, Daljit said that it was an around-the-world phenomenon.

"It happens everywhere. See what happened in England when they lost the first Test, the second Test ended in two days. It is all a controversy," he said.