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The
Morality of asking for Tailor-Made Pitches
Of
late, there has been quite a lot of talk on the so called “orders”
for making tailor made pitches for the forthcoming series of India vs
Australia. Steve Waugh has already fired the first salvo by saying that
Indians are making pitches that would suit them. Let’s see that if
such a thing goes against the grain of sportsmanship and morality in
general.
It’s
immoral
To make
pitches that would suit your style of play means only one thing; you
don’t want to fight the enemy on a level playing field. Rather you
want an unfair advantage in things that are not the part of your
ability. In terms of cricket it can be safely said that ‘it is simply
not cricket’. If you can alter the condition of the pitches, you might
as well do other things that favour you. How about changing the rules of
the game to favour the home team. Perhaps, in no other game, the pitch
or the playing condition can severely alter the outcome of the match but
in cricket it is very much possible. But, if every other team starts
doing the same thing then what about ‘Sportsmanship’? If Indians
think that by doing such a thing they can win matches then they should
be ready to face defeat outside India as the same ‘home-advantage’
and ‘tailor-made pitches’ would be the strength of the opposite team
thereby making our players ineffective in “phoren” conditions. And
mind you because of this very fact we have players who are good but only
on home pitches. Another fact which needs to be highlighted is that as
per the records of the last two decades, whenever we have been beaten,
we were done-in by spin (which is supposed to be our strength) and not
with pace. And the same thing can happen against Australia, (remember
they have a vicious turner in Shane Warne who is capable of turning a
strong batting line up into mere ashes) as we our providing them with a
golden platter for easy winning and if it actually happens then our poor
administrators would be left with no excuse.
It’s
Perfectly Moral
Now cricket
wouldn’t be the same if all the countries were to have the same
playing conditions and same type of crowds and surroundings. Cricket is
one game that offers the spectators the spectacle of watching the game
in different hues and shades in different countries. With the change in
playing conditions, the underdog becomes the favorite and the favorite
turns into challenger. No two countries have the same playing
conditions, and even if they had, then also the ball would behave
differently under different weather conditions and that is certainly one
charm, which no one would like to change. Since every other country
takes advantage of its own conditions, it’s perfectly moral for India
to do the same. Look at what the Aussies have done to the visiting teams
in the last one and half year. No denying the fact that they played well
but at the same time they definitely exploited their home-conditions and
fast-pitches. When we can afford to lose 0-3 against them in alien
conditions we can also afford to make pitches so that we at least win in
our own backyard. This is where the greatness of our visiting team will
be measured. If the Australians win on our tailor-made pitches, they
really deserve the title of world champions. If not, they should stop
proclaiming themselves as the best Australian team ever because the
greatness of a player is judged by his performance under all kinds of
circumstances. For example in Tennis, many pundits still do not agree
that Pete Sampras is the greatest player ever. They say – Until he
wins the French Open ‘slow surface’ trophy, he wouldn’t be
considered the greatest. And no, they do not want to change the slow
surface of the French Open because that is what keeps the game alive.
So, India too has all the rights to ask for tailor-made pitches. What do
you have to say?
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