Pitch-making a dying art

Dec. 28: Traditionally the malis tended to the pitch in India. They were called groundsmen. The complaints against pitches were not that many, certainly not overwhelming as they tend to be nowadays. The more scientific they try to get in the matter of preparing tracks, the greater seems to be the confusion.
The Kotla fiasco in which Sunday’s ODI between India and Sri Lanka was called off was another manifestation of the dying art of relaying pitches. The Kotla pitch had been redone about four times in the last couple of seasons without any of the playing surfaces proving satisfactory.
The BCCI should have seen it coming. The Champions League matches played in November at the Kotla carried the clear warning that the playing surface was unsuited to top-level competition. The chasers were at a distinct disadvantage as the pitch played worse by the hour, indicating a lack of firmness in the sub-surface.
Sehwag had been prophetic in predicting a disaster because he had personal experience of the new Kotla pitch as he turned out for Delhi Daredevils in the CL also. No one lent a thought to the discomfiture of players, particularly batsmen, on a pitch not up to international standards.
And this is not the first time that a match is being called off because of a dangerous pitch in the country. An ODI was abandoned in Indore a few years ago. Complaints were logged by the ICC regarding the Kanpur Test pitch of 2008 when the South Africans were done in by deliberate under-preparation of the pitch after they had beaten Team India in Ahmedabad on a pitch too heavily watered on the eve of the Test.
The era of under-prepared pitches — called ‘Bunsen’ burners or designer tracks because of the heat they generated around the bat with close-in fielders crowding batsmen all day — was thought to be over in the ’90s.
But the tactic would surface whenever the home team was in trouble in a Test series. To have an ODI match abandoned is a graver sin because all such limited-overs cricket needs is a good pitch that is well rolled and offers even bounce and pace and not too much spin.
A number of them was on show in the earlier part of the series when exciting matches were played in which a 400-plus total was nearly chased down and a 300-plus was easily met.
Parthasarathy who is reputed to be one of the better groundsmen in India and who has been tending, for 40 years, the traditional Chepauk pitch that used to be the quickest in India for many years, says the pitch-making process is intricate.
“The pitch has two layers of brick as foundation. A layer of sea sand, red soil and clay (in that order) is placed above the base. Once again there will be a bedding of sea sand,” he says.
The experienced curator says many Indian pitches are of late prepared with clay in place of red soil. “If the clay doesn’t dry adequately, there will be uneven bounce. Another reason for a two-paced wicket could be rolling a wet surface.
“As soon as the cameras zoomed in on the Delhi pitch, I knew there would be trouble because there were patches of grass. It wasn’t a wicket suitable for ODIs. I think the clay hasn’t dried adequately as Delhi is in the grip of winter. Clay is used predominantly in South Africa but it dries quickly there,” he adds.
The BCCI will need the expertise of a veteran hand like Parthasarathy who knows more about the soil but has no degrees or even formal education to boast of. The message is simple — keep the process of preparation simple but call those with a nose for soil to tend to relaying of pitches.