Cricket: Fleming defends pitches in India

KANPUR - New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming, whose team were beaten inside four days in the second test against India yesterday defended the right of individual countries to decide how they should prepare their pitches.

The New Zealanders went 0-1 down in the three-test series after losing by eight wickets in Kanpur, where a major talking point throughout the match was the state of the Green Park pitch.

It was parched and cracked before a ball was bowled and started to deteriorate on the first day.

But Fleming did not believe there should be uniform international regulations for the preparation of test pitches.

"That would take away part of the beauty and mystique of playing in different places," he said. "We beat India at home on our wickets last season, so it's only right that we have to adjust differently to play in their conditions."

Fleming said having to adapt to a foreign set of circumstances was a challenge he enjoyed and was what made victory away from home so satisfying when achieved.

It was also encouraging that during the third day of the test, New Zealand spinners Daniel Vettori and Paul Wiseman were able to trouble the Indian batsman, with Vettori picking up six wickets.

"It wasn't a good-looking wicket aesthetically and certainly, as the game progressed, it was difficult to play on against continuous quality bowling," Fleming said.

"But that's what you expect over here and somehow you have to find the technique to cope."

He admitted that the New Zealanders were taking time to get used to the Indian pitches and even the eight weeks they were on tour would not be enough.

So it was a case of each individual finding the appropriate balance between occupying the crease and finding the right scoring shot.

Indian coach Kapil Dev, meanwhile, had no qualms about a pitch that made even top batsmen like skipper Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid struggle.

"Sometimes it's good for the batsmen to struggle - there's nothing wrong with that," the former bowler said.

"It's good to have result wickets more than anything. Results bring back the crowds and that's what test cricket needs."

Tendulkar, who got only 15 in the first innings but then hit 44 not out at a run a ball in the second, said the pitch was difficult to bat on, but not impossible.

"It was not a dangerous wicket," he said. "It helped the spinners, but it was not a vicious track where every ball kicked up. There were a couple of spots, but not a single batsman went out because of them. They troubled the batsmen only mentally."

Asked if India, with their four-pronged spin attack, wanted similar conditions for the final test beginning in Ahmedabad on Friday, Tedulkar said: "We'll leave it to the groundsman."

Indian journalists say Ahmedabad is expected to be another turning track. - NZPA