Home dominance fading due to pitches

[bharat297]

Looking at the way India are playing here ... and the way they have played at home for many years now I have noticed that we are definitely losing our dominance at home. However, we are becoming more competitive and consistent away ... with strong performances in RSA (both ODI and T20 world cup), ENG (Test series), WIN (Test series) and AUS (Test series). My theory on this is that now our team is more suited to seamer friendly conditions than lower, slower conditions on deteriorating pitches. We have a bowling attack that is much more suited to conditions that enable swing and seam (RP, Zaheer, Sreesanth, Pathan, Munaf) and now a few of them can clock 140+kmh consistently. Also, besides Kumble we really dont have any really good spinners that can exploit turning tracks ... Bhajji, Kartik, Powar, and Chawla are not at the level that can consistently trouble international batsman even on raging turners. Also, nowadays most of our batsman are quite adept on both front and back foot so the additional bounce wont trouble us as much as it used to. Opposition teams expect our pitches to be slow and low and spin friendly and prepare for it however I think that in fact we are the ones at a disadvantage. I think quicker, seamer friendly conditions might put is in a better position to win matches at home. What do you think?

[Ram]

We are reaping the benefits of having an experienced middle-order that put together , has more than 30,000 test runs to its name. Our biggest liability in away tours till 3-4 years ago was our batting, but that was when our middle-order ( Sachin , Dravid , Laxman and Ganguly) came into its own , enabling us to rattle off big scores. Such experience is what has enabled us to perform well in the last tours to Eng , Aus , WI and Aus . Once these batsman go , we may get back to our doldrums. And add to that, the emergence of young quicks that can crank up the RPM ( as highlighted in the OP) , it meant that we now have the complete package as far as winning tests abroad is concerned. And one of the biggest additions to our squad has been a world-class wicket-keepr batsman. For the first time , India can boast of a steady wicket-keeper who is also a brilliant attacking batsmn. Having an attacking batsman at no.7 can do wonders to a test-team. In fact , in the last 3 out the 4 tests we have played ( 1st test at Lords, The third test, both in the english tour and the first test of this tour), Dhoni has played crucial hands in getting us out of trouble. Still, I believe that playing spinning tracks is the way to go forward in home tests. Spin, was , is and will always be our single biggest weapon in home tests. Look at this Ind-Pak series for example,its still the spinners who have been calling the shots.

[bharat297]

^ Yes the spinner have been the only ones with any success ... and thats kind of my point ... we have a good seam/swing attack why not give conditions that favour them. Besides Kumble ... we dont have a world class spinner that can exploit teams on turning tracks. Like Sri Lanka can afford turning tracks because they are sure Muralitharan will rip teams apart on that surface. However, look at NZL and ENG ... both teams have 1 world class spinner ... however could either of those teams afford to prepare turning tracks at home. They wouldnt because both teams have better pace attacks than spin attacks so they prepare pitches that favour that. Right now our pace attack is better than our spin attack. We have (IMO) the best swing bowlers in the world today ... why not (on our home tracks) give those guys the additional assistance they need and we can play to their favour?

[Ram]

India will always keep producing competent spinners who are better than spinners of other countries. And the reason why i say we need to prepare turning tracks at home is not because i feel we have and will keep producing good spinners , but i feel its the inability of foreign teams to play the turning ball that we must exploit. This whole new theme having bouncy pitches at home so that we perform well in abroad conditions is just a myth , IMO. Good teams win everywhere , poor teams suck everywhere.

[gs]

I would like to see dustbowls or raging turners of the Azhar-Wadekar days when Aussies tour India in future for a test series. I just want India to crush them at home by whatever means.

[bharat297]

India will always keep producing competent spinners who are better than spinners of other countries. And the reason why i say we need to prepare turning tracks at home is not because i feel we have and will keep producing good spinners , but i feel its the inability of foreign teams to play the turning ball that we must exploit.

Have we always produced quality spinners? I mean we used to in the 80s. However I would say in the past 17 years we have produced 1 ... Kumble. I world-class spinner in 17 years, even New Zealand have done that. I know our batsman play spin well , but nowadays most teams are accustomed to that so you very rarely see a team completely struggle on Indian surfaces nowadays. Australia handled it in 2004, England handled it in 2006, Pakistan are handling it ok now. We lose home ODIs and ODI tournaments more consistently now than we ever did before. We have 3 or 4 swing bowlers who can move the ball around in almost any conditions. We are lucky to have this group of pacemen all at the same time ... I mean on a turning track ... we are only really assisting 1 spinner (Kumble), at the expense of 3 quality pacemen.

This whole new theme having bouncy pitches at home so that we perform well in abroad conditions is just a myth , IMO. Good teams win everywhere , poor teams suck everywhere.

This is not to improve our away record. What I am saying is ... our away record isnt too bad , particularly in the Test format because I feel our team (particularly our bowlers) are more suited to the seaming conditions that are found abroad. I am saying that bouncy, seaming and swing friendly conditions should be provided at home to improve our home record. I feel our strength right now is our swing bowlers ... we should play to our strengths at home. In the 80s and 90s ... ok ... we had few quality pacemen ... now we have good pacemen ... and few (I reckon only 1) quality spinner, so why not play to your strengths and provide seaming / bouncier decks.

[Dhondy]

You'll get the answer in Calcutta, when Pakistan's seamers rip the heart out of our batting and Bhajji gives his ritual post match interviews as to how he was given too few overs to bowl by the skip. Unless we create pitches to enourage more Sreesanths and RP Singhs, and if we keep selecting non performers like Bhajji, prepare yourselves to sing requiems of Indian cricket in not too distant future. Just ask yourself, what happens after Kumble retires? He is a once-in-a-generation phenomenon, like Shane Warne. Indian cricket will never see the likes of him again. The supporting cast of spinners couldn't bowl out a decent side if you dug trenches on the pitch. Time to prepare sporting pitches and trust our seam attack to deliver. Oh, and let the Bhajjis of this world play the ODIs. Rest the bowlers who matter for bigger things.

[bharat297]

We are preparing spin pitches when we have 1 excellent spinner and a whole bunch of crap spinners. We have a very good seam/swing attack yet at home, when they are expected to be helped out the most they are shunted by flat turners. I just hope that people realise that we the best swing/seam attack that we have ever had and (besides Kumble) one of the worst spin attacks we have had in a long time, yet we are still preparing spin friendly pitches in the hope that we can rip through attacks.

[Dhondy]

We are preparing spin pitches when we have 1 excellent spinner and a whole bunch of crap spinners. We have a very good seam/swing attack yet at home, when they are expected to be helped out the most they are shunted by flat turners. I just hope that people realise that we the best swing/seam attack that we have ever had and (besides Kumble) one of the worst spin attacks we have had in a long time, yet we are still preparing spin friendly pitches in the hope that we can rip through attacks.

You tell these guys, Bharat. I've just about given up.