Lucky to have escaped unhurt, says Sunny

Sunil Gavaskar, who has seen his fair share of pitches, went to the extent of saying the Sri Lankans were lucky to escape without serious injury, reports Subhash Rajta.

All those fans, including the 40,000-plus at the Ferozeshah Kotla, wondering if the pitch was indeed unfit for play, can rest easy. Despite the fact that the innings lasted nearly 24 overs, experts had no doubt that the surface was a dangerous one.

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Sunil Gavaskar, who has seen his fair share of pitches, went to the extent of saying the Sri Lankans were lucky to escape without serious injury.

The former India skipper, who did the pitch report for the match, was clear in his assessment, speaking soon after the game had been abandoned. “The problem is that ball is jagging up right from the good length area, making it really difficult for the batsmen to negotiate the sharp and sudden bounce,” said Gavaskar.

Gavaskar explained just what was causing the problem. “When the ball lands on the grassy parts it jags up dangerously, and when ir lands on the bald patches it stays low, causing confusion in the minds of the batsmen.”

Gavaskar was also emphatic in saying that the pitch should have first been used for some duration games before being served up for an ODI.

“Had they played some club games or any other matches on the wicket, what we witnessed today could have been averted,” he said.

Daljit Singh, who was sacked as Grounds and Pitches committee chairman on Sunday afternoon, said that the grass they had grown was far more than their liking on the wicket and they were struggling to tone it down.

“We would not water any more and try to turn it somewhat brown,” he had said before the game. That, howevre, didn’t happen, and the result was something he wouldn’t have hoped for even in his nightmare.