Not surprisingly, the Motera pitch has been the butt of all criticism after a high-scoring drawn Test, in which 1,598 runs were scored. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni initially called the flat track unsuitable for any format of cricket, before defending the curator, saying he had played on worse wickets in his career.

Going into the second Test at the Green Park in Kanpur, the Indian skipper might have such mixed sentiments about his team’s bowling attack as well. Dhoni was sympathetic towards his bowlers after Sri Lanka piled up 760 runs, but the question that lingers after Ahmedabad is if the pitch alone can be blamed for India’s abject display with the ball?

The Lankan bowlers didn’t do too well either but at least their inexperienced attack, led by Chanaka Welegedara, grabbed 14 wickets in all. In fact, Welegedara reduced India to 32-4 in the first session. Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath struggled to make an impact in either innings, but the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra were made to look even more pedestrian, with Harbhajan picking up two wickets for 189 from 48.4 overs and Mishra finishing with only one for 203.

Prolonged struggle

The Indian bowlers had done well in New Zealand in March, but they have struggled to replicate that form in the last six months. There was severe criticism after India’s early exit from the World T20 in England, and then after a disastrous campaign in the Champions Trophy in South Africa, where Dhoni himself came on to bowl. Things didn’t get much better even in the recent ODI series against Australia at home which India lost 4-2.

... contd.