India Becoming the Graveyard of Cricket

As I watch the second test at Kanpur between India and Sri Lanka, it finally dawns on me—after two whole days of mind-numbing batting—that test matches in India (and Pakistan for that matter), are the most boring five days of cricket you could imagine.  No wonder test cricket's future is being questioned.

The script never changes, one team racks up a huge score, then the other team racks up an equally huge score, then the five days end in a pointless draw.

In the first two tests between Sri Lanka and India of this tour, the average innings total by both teams, is 560. In these innings there have been ten centuries, four of which have been 150-plus.

I'm sorry but that, quite frankly, is appalling. I'm not saying the batsman aren't talented, but such ludicrous scoring is undermining the reputation of the century maker. I know it's a batsman's game, but come on! Batting records in India are becoming as useful for gauging talent as batting against Bangladesh.

The problem is the pitches. They are lifeless. So far in the series I have not seen even the great Muralitharan turn a ball more than two inches, even then it hit a footmark.

The root of such ridiculously batsman-friendly pitches must be a result of the BCCI's money making machine, stretching tests out to the max. Disgraceful.

All you have to do is look through test history to realise that great test matches are a real contest between bat and ball. Probably more so when the ball has the slight advantage, such as in the 2005 Ashes series where in five tests only eight centuries were scored!!

Four of these came at the Oval, which many including myself considered the worst of all five tests.

It's so much better cricket when you know that the batsmen really have to work hard for the runs. But I'm afraid Indian tests are an absolute disgrace.

I mean no disrespect to Prassana Jayawardene, for example, but his first class high score is 166, and yet he caressed 154 against India. I bet the 166 was a better knock by a country mile ... I found it even worse when people started preaching about how amazing Sachin Tendulkars century was in the first test.

No, it was distinctly average. I bet even he would say so deep down.

And let's be frank, it's not like the bowling attacks are lacking potency.  For example, India ripped England to pieces in 2007. And then there's Murali ... 700-plus test wickets, enough said.