What greeted the few thousands of spectators who did come out to witness action on a holiday was low bounce in the very first hour. The deliveries from Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav, who both bowled at a decent pace, kept low. Some reached 'keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on second bounce.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, brought on in the ninth over, bowled creditably to take three wickets but later acknowledged that there was little life in the pitch, a view echoed by fellow spinner and debutant R Ashwin. "It had no bounce, no turn, nothing," said the offie.

With professional sport constantly looking up to packaging, such an insipid track can't help. Although the BCCI points to its rotation policy in choosing venues, what stops the cricket Board from ensuring matches are played only on sporting pitches, especially with India also viewing the series as preparation for the tough tour Down Under.