India v Sri Lanka, 5th ODI, Delhi, Dec 27

Hundred for Cookie, and a good one.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Hundred for Cookie, and a good one.

So they restarted the match?

And imported an South African, sorry Englishman.

furriner wrote:And imported an South African, sorry Englishman.

As usual, twatman missed the joke

This article pretty much sums up what I think of the Kotla fiasco that the fact is batsmen are too pampered these days.

Pitching for a new spine for batsmen!Link!

Since a wave of Gandhigiri seems to have swamped the Ferozeshah Kotla following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI, with 'Delhi, get well soon' placards posted at the gates, it might be apt to begin with a quote of the Mahatma: "Fear has its use, cowardice has none."

What the Kotla travesty proved was that mollycoddled batsmen have forgotten the meaning of fear. The pitch served a reminder, and they promptly got cold feet. For crying out loud, the game needs more instances of its second-class citizens - the bowlers - doing the bullying. The incensed spectators at the Delhi game will vouch for that.

It is nobody's case whether the captains and match referee would have agreed to carry on if this wasn't a dead rubber. Without doubt the Kotla pitch was as unpredictable as quantum mechanics and organisers must duly cop the flak. What was alarming, though, was the petulance of the batsmen. In spite of the prolonged deliberations and prevarications, the abandonment seemed inevitable the moment Sangakkara and Jayawardene waved to Kandamby in the middle. Nearly a quarter of the game had been played out till then, while Indore in 1997 - when another game was abandoned - saw only three overs bowled.

At the Kotla, balls of similar length were either rising dangerously or shooting along the ground. In all, out of 23.3 overs, some nine or ten deliveries could be termed 'alarming', as many have pointed out. But Jayasuriya adapted well, and Dhoni didn't concede a single bye. Was the pitch as treacherous, as unplayable as Kingston in 1998 or Antigua last February? What if this was a Test match? What if there was at least one genuine tearaway on either side, forget the likes of Lillee, Thommo, Roberts, Holding or Marshall? What if this was the era of uncovered pitches, and helmet-less but undaunted strokeplayers?

Maybe even then the game may have been stopped, but this isn't that age. It was inevitable that one day, modern batsmen would have to own up to the fact that they had grown as soft as the pancake pitches they gorged on. The shambolic, mismanaged, probably-banned Kotla has provided that day. No wonder the capacity crowd - thousands of intense, ball-by-ball observers of the dramatic moments of play that were possible - got inflamed.

Primarily, they were angry with themselves, for having been duped into thinking that only fours and sixes mattered. Here they were, watching like a hawk how the inconsistencies in the pitch had made a game so exciting, when the plug was pulled out. A majority of those forcefully ejected from their seats went back thinking the batsmen were wusses. They were so angry it wouldn't have been wise, at that moment, to argue. One could only watch them scream obscenities. Even the Indian batsmen were not spared.

The genesis of this vast gulf between what cricket administrators feel the paying public wants (read high-scoring games on bland pitches) and the ground realities (an exciting contest) lies in our perception of a 'good' pitch. This perception has remained unchanged - just like the red cherry - even though the game has moved on. This is also why the balance between bat and ball is skewed in today's game. Routinely, we hear TV commentators terming a strip 'good' , which basically means there's lots of runs in it. Yet, isn't scoring 800-plus runs in an ODI as abnormal as an abandonment?

Many thinkers have flaunted theories on how, in future, there will be separate Test, ODI and T20 players. No one seems to suggest that maybe even the pitches need to be different. Although this wasn't the case at the Kotla, it's too much to ask of a curator to prepare a good T20 pitch one Monday and a classic Test match surface the following Tuesday. Ask groundsmen across the country.

Consequently, in the middle, equations have altered. Top cricketers have become multi-million dollar corporate entities, wrapped in cotton wool, laden with protective gear from head to toe. They have also grown squeamish. Boundaries have shortened, bats have become hi-tech , bouncers have been virtually fazed out and there is too much at stake to display the wares of technique on a shifty surface. Why do it when a decent ODI knock on a sleeping beauty is enough to get pundits waxing eloquent about 'nice technique'? Batsmen aren't willing to risk injury; this isn't soccer or rugby or professional boxing, they say. They can also score hundreds without having to resort to the hook or pull shot.

Mahela Jayawardene hinted in his column after the fiasco that "these days, it is not such a great thing to sit out with a broken bone for three to four months" . He didn't say a lot, but it was enough. Cricket is fast losing touch with the principles of natural justice between bat and ball, the very basis of the contest. If a batsman is allowed to notch up a ton on a flat surface in a T20 game, he should be equally prepared to tough it out for three hours in difficult conditions, or on a vicious pitch. Sure, maybe he might break an arm, but he won't die: he's too well protected for that, and it would make for a fascinating contest. It would also help to separate the wheat from the chaff.

The good news is there are enough quality batsmen who are fiercely confident of their skills. The bad news is the onus is on the paying public to wake up and hear the cricket ball screaming for respect. Kotla was a rude but important alarm.

Does the esteemed journal that article appeared in provide the overhyped party line support for the IPL seemingly expected of Indian media outlets? If so, for them to publish an article containing the phrase "For crying out loud, the game needs more instances of its second-class citizens - the bowlers - doing the bullying" is interesting.