Dump such tracks

In normal circumstances, I would love to see the belligerence of Sehwag, poise of Gambhir, method in Dravid's display, genius of Sachin and artistry of Laxman. I welcome the very sight of them outwitting the bowlers, and cherish the runs they compile. But certainly not on tracks like these.

The essential ingredient in their masterly display is invariably outwitting the bowlers of calibre. But where does the question of outwitting arise on such tracks. The guile of the likes of Mendis and Murali goes all in vain and just getting the ball past the bat, once or twice, becomes a tremendous achievement.

It is debatable that departure of Sehwag without scoring today could have signalled a collapse. Even if there were to be a mini collapse, Lankan bowlers, like at Ahmedabad, could have never hoped to run through the Indian batting line up. No pace, no spin, no life makes mockery of Test cricket, which, the past artistes, dub as a fair contest between bat and ball.

Instead of preparing pitches where a match could go unfinished even after seven-eight days of cricket, it is better to have pitches where a match ends in 3-4 days. I will certainly not mind a pitch where a ball turns from day one and give as a match as interesting as India vs Pak at B'lore (1986-87) or matches when Kumble was at his peak.

Let there be dusty, spinning, lethal tracks. The tracks that make spinners rub their hands in glee and ensure results. These tracks will also ensure that both the teams are always in the match. Not like the tussle at Kanpur, which may already have eliminated one result from the equation -- a win for the visitors.