da luck： Making himself heard in a debate that will not die, Virender Sehwag has called for India to return to preparing pitches that can be exploited by their spinners
Rahul Bhattacharya in Mohali07-Jul-2005Making himself heard in a debate that will not die, Virender Sehwag hascalled for India to return to preparing pitches that can be exploited bytheir spinners.”We should play to our strengths,” Sehwag said today, after stroking acentury on a surface that, like the one at Ahmedabad, has only assistedbatsmen. “If spin is our strength then we should definitely make pitchesthat take spin. What is wrong in that?””When we go abroad we get seaming wickets with grass. I don’t know why thegroundsmen are not preparing turning tracks. This is the slowest wicket Ihave played on at Mohali.”Expectedly, Craig McMillan, one of five centurions on the first three daysof this Test, went the other way. Like New Zealand coach Ashley Ross beforethe match, McMillan said that India will not be a force overseas so long asthe pitches lack bounce.”At home you are unbeatable, but as soon as the ball is bouncing above thehips, you are struggling,” McMillan said. “Over here the ball barely risesabove the knees.””Our effort in New Zealand has been to be successful in all conditions. Wehave won in England, in West Indies and drawn in Sri Lanka. A lot of thecredit for our performance here goes to the planning and dedication beforethe tour.”Meanwhile, IS Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, hasapologized for the pitch. “The buck stops with me,” he told the matchbroadcasters in an interview, “I will make sure that Mohali doesn’t havesuch a pitch again.”