Pitch unfit for Tests 8212; Tendulkar

AHMEDABAD, NOV 2: Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar ground the Motera pitch to dust as the three-Test series against New Zealand came to an...

AHMEDABAD, NOV 2: Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar ground the Motera pitch to dust as the three-Test series against New Zealand came to an end, saying he had 8220;not seen such a flat wicket in his whole life8221; and that it was 8220;a good practice wicket, but not fit for Test8221; matches.

8220;If we want to get results,8221; he said in the post-match briefing, 8220;this is not the kind of track to play on. We should play on good wickets, even green tops, but this wicket was so flat, it was not taking spin, the ball was not moving off the seam, it did not break as I expected it to, even on the last day. It was like a first day8217;s wicket and the bowlers got no assistance at all. I have never seen such a wicket in my whole life.8221;

Asked about his controversial decision not to impose the follow-on after taking a lead of 275 runs, the skipper said his bowlers had already bowled 140 overs, there were three players who were not feeling well and he wanted to 8220;give them a break8221;.

Asked whether he did not think that India would have stood a better chance of winning had the follow-on been imposed, he said, 8220;you saw what happened on the track on the fifth day, it is not as if the bowlers bowled loose at any time, we kept the pressure up, but barring Anil no bowler in the whole match troubled any batsman8221;.

Coach Kapil Dev too did not spare the wicket. 8220;It is a little sad to have a wicket like this,8221; he said. 8220;If you want to bring back the crowds then you should play on better tracks. In our own country where we have the benefit of preparing the kind of tracks we want, it is sad.8221;

When pointed out that he was the chairman of the grounds committee of the cricket board, Kapil said his 8220;job was to see that a ground was fit for playing, not to instruct on what kind of wickets should be prepared8221;.

Kapil added as an afterthought that he had quit the committee. 8220;I have resigned from the grounds committee,8221; he said.

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Tendulkar, however, had a word of praise for all the four bowlers seen in action in this Test. 8220;Srinath bowled well, Kumble is always good and Prasad bowled a good spell. Harbhajan also bowled well but the wicket did not help at all 8212; the batsman got a lot of time to play 8212; he is very young, only 19, and he will mature.8221;

Having completed one Test series as coach, Kapil said, 8220; When you win a series it makes you happy, but it could have been better. I enjoyed coming back after five years. I try to keep fit with them. In five years things have changed a lot. Cricketers have changed a lot, they know their responsibilities. My job is not so much on the ground as off it. It is to instill discipline and a killer instinct8221;.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming said the wicket was 8220;good8221; but the bowlers 8220;may not agree8221; with him. In light of what Tendulkar had said, when asked whether he had played on such tracks, he said, 8220;In England we play every Test on such wickets8221;.

Fleming refused to comment on the Indian captain8217;s decision not to impose a follow-on. 8220;They were his tactics, I won8217;t comment on that,8221; he said.