2 pitches + 2 balls in 1 game = better skills: Tendulkar

New Delhi, December 3

Sachin Tendulkar has made a radical suggestion aimed at improving the skills of Indian cricketers, to help them perform better when touring outside India.

Tendulkar today mooted the idea of using two separate pitches and two different balls in the same match in domestic cricket. The 43-year-old said this would help both batsmen and bowlers acquire different kinds of skills in the same match.

“We should not make tailor-made pitches,” Tendulkar said. “Let us make green-top pitches in India. We should make our batsmen and spinners play on them. We need to make our bench strength get used to foreign pitches and conditions. Our spinners need to know which areas to bowl in the first innings on a green-top.”

“I have a suggestion which can be radical. When we go to places like Australia, New Zealand, West Indies and South Africa, we play with Kookaburra balls which swing early,” Tendulkar said.

The SG Test ball, used in India, has a prominent seam. This ball is hand-made and doesn’t swing much when it’s new. The Kookaburra brand ball, used abroad, has a less prominent seam, which becomes even lesser pronounced as the match progresses. It is machine-made and moves a lot when new and lesser as it grows older.

Dual challenge

“Let us have the first innings on a green-top with Kookaburra balls, which would give openers a challenge. Even the bowlers will have something. Our spinners will also learn how to bowl with the Kookaburra on green-tops.”

“Now let there be a pitch adjacent to the green-top which would be a rank turner. Now the second innings will be played on that track with the SG Test ball which would also help our batsmen play against quality spin bowling,” he added. “We have been too focussed on playing pace in overseas conditions but we should not forget how to play spin bowling.”

“For the bench strength, it is important to know how a Kookaburra ball seams or swings,” Tendulkar said. “When we play on two different surfaces, the captain knows if he bowls first, he’ll be batting fourth on a rank turner. So, it’s not going to be easy.”

“This move will also teach our batters to play on turning tracks. This will help in winning abroad,” he added.

Mum on Lodha

Tendulkar refused to comment on the reforms in cricket administration recommended by the Justice RM Lodha Committee, though he did say that “everything is not perfect and changes are needed to be made to ensure India remains the leading side in the world”.

“The matter is in the Supreme Court, and it’ll be unwise to get into the details and pass any judgment,” Tendulkar said. “From the cricketing point of view, I have got a lot of support from BCCI and MCA. BCCI has also supported the game a lot. The board has helped all the players to get to where they are.”

“It doesn’t stop here. I am not saying everything is perfect and right, and we don’t need to improve, we don’t need to make changes,” he said. “We need to make changes for better. We are already the leading side in the world. We need to capitalise on that and make things better for India.” — Agencies