Miffed with the docile pitch in the drawn Ahmedabad Test against Sri Lanka, feisty Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Saturday said such batting-friendly tracks would kill cricket's longest format.
"Such pitches will kill Test cricket. It's a free ticket to batsmen and offer no
contest," Harbhajan told PTI over phone from Ahmedabad.
Tthe Motera track has drawi flak from all quarters and both captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara said they expected the pitch to offer some assistance to the bowlers on the last two days.
The 'battathons' of Motera are now in public domain but the bigger picture of pitches in India ought to make cricket administrators sit up and take notice.
Seven of the last 12 Tests in India have been draws. One triple century, six double and as many as 32 Test centuries have been hit.
One score in excess of 700, three each of 600 and 500 runs and no less than six scores of 400 and more have been managed.
The bowlers understandably have groaned under the strain. It has not mattered if the likes of Dale Steyn, Andrew Flintoff, Shoaib Akhtar or Muthiah Muralitharan have been in operation.
Bowlers now have genuine concerns for their careers in India, said Harbhajan.