Docile Motera track will harm Tests: Manjrekar
New Delhi | Saturday, Nov 21 2009 IST
 

The docile pitch at Montera, which turned out to be a run feast for both India and Sri Lankan batsmen, will harm Test cricket which is fighting for its survival against the more popular One-day and T20 formats, feels former Test player Sanjay Manjrekar.

The opening match of the three-Test series between India and Sri Lanka at Motera, Ahmedabad did produce some batting records but a tame draw has raised questions on the quality of the pitch that was on offer.

''I think no sport is so dictated by the track on which it is played on. If we continue to encourage the curators by calling their 'flat tracks' good wickets then we are seriously hampering the progress of Test cricket,'' said Manjrekar.

The former Test batsmen further added that the result would have served little to interest the young fans who probably are more inclined to the Twenty20 format.

''The last thing that Test cricket needs in present times is a sport that is played over five days, around 7 hours a day, and ending in a no result. That in today's day and age looks completely outdated and the concept will not at all appeal to the younger generation,'' he remarked.

Electing to bat first, India was reduced to 32 for four but Rahul Dravid and Mahendra Singh Dhoni struck centuries to take the score to 426.

In reply, Mahela Jayawerdene played a marathon 275-run knock to guide Sri Lanka to notch 760 for seven declared, only to see India reach 412 for four as the match ended in a draw.

But the 42-year-old Manjrekar, who has now become a well renowned cricket commentator, also feel that India and Sri Lanka did not exhibit a a good bowling display.

''Both the teams do not have the attack to pick up 20 wickets on a placid track. It this Test series has to get exciting, the pitches have to improve. There has to be a better balance between the bat and the ball,'' Manjrekar told espnstar.com.

He further opined that the series could well turn out to be a dull high-scoring one and said he wouldn't be surprised much if the next two matches also end in draws.

''We might just see a high-scoring dull series with the next two matches scheduled in Kanpur and Mumbai, respectively. But let's hope for the best and pray that the curators in Green Park and Brabourne Stadium learn from the Motera draw.''

-- (UNI) -- 21SPD15.xml

 

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