Ahead of Thursday's semifinal, Aussies make open demand for "some grass" on pitch. But what they will actually get is a spinner-friendly strip
A few years ago, CNN Travel did a piece titled ‘50 reasons why Sydney is the world's greatest city’. From its carefree sun-drenched lifestyle – which the metropolis owes to its 100 beaches – to sprawling parks, countless pubs, heritage architecture and a stunning harbour, the capital of New South Wales is simply captivating. Freedom, diversity, inclusion and respect are the cornerstones of this conurbation. Where else would you find ‘GAYTMs’? In other words, everybody feels like a ‘Sydneysider’ here.
It’s no different for Team India. Put up at the swanky InterContinental, which is a stone’s throw from the fabulous Opera House, MS Dhoni & Co. are at ease in Sydney. Gearing up for Thursday’s semifinal clash against World Cup co-hosts Australia, the defending champions have another reason – and a big one at that – to be happy.
The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which is partly quaint and partly gaudy, is expected to assist spinners more than anybody else. And going by the form of off-spinner R Ashwin (12 wickets) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (9 wickets), India will be in a great position to call the shots. For the record, Australia have just one specialist spinner, Xavier Doherty, in their 15-member squad. And the left-arm spinner has played just two out of seven games in this World Cup. So, they will have to make do with the skills and services of skipper Michael Clarke, Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith, all part-time spinners.
Actually, you can sense the desperation in the Australian camp. For the first time in their collective memories, Australia aren’t feeling at home. Thrice in the last three days, the Australian players have used the media to make their demand for a “pitch with some grass” public. Clarke said it after his team defeated Pakistan in the third quarterfinal in Adelaide on Friday; pacer Josh Hazlewood echoed his captain’s views on Saturday; and swashbuckling all-rounder Maxwell sang the same tune on Sunday.
But their demands are not going to be met. The World Cup is organised by the International Cricket Council. When it comes to global tournaments like these, it’s the ICC that monitors the preparation of the playing surface. In such a scenario, the governing body’s chief pitch inspector works in tandem with the local curator. The norms are straight and simple: prepare a sporting wicket. In other words, there is no scope for tampering with the original nature of the surface. No one’s going to help the Australian team by growing a few blades of grass on the pitch.
Over the years, the Sydney wicket has assisted spinners. Across formats, leg-spin great Shane Warne has been the most successful bowler here. Among Indians, Anil Kumble, Erapalli Prasanna and Ravi Shastri have topped the charts. Even in this World Cup, tweakers have called the shots. As recently as last Wednesday, South Africa leg-spinner Imran Tahir (4/26) and part-time off-spinner Jean-Paul Duminy (3/29), who performed the hat-trick, destroyed Sri Lanka to ensure their side romped into the semifinal with a nine-wicket win. Earlier in the tournament, the Pakistan-born Tahir picked up 5/45 against the West Indies.
On one hand, the Aussies are reminding India about the forgettable first half of their Australian tour, now into its 121st day. But on the other hand, they are doing everything in their power – that’s a myth, actually – to coerce the local curator, Tom Parker, into preparing a pacer-friendly strip. Most of the 48,000 seats at the SCG are expected to be filled up with fans donning blue jerseys. The Aussies know that too. Maybe that’s why Clarke and Warner posted this tweet a couple of days ago: “I call on all Australian cricket lovers to paint the SCG gold on Thursday. We need your support. #goldout.” When was the last time you heard Dhoni or Virat Kohli ‘requesting’ or ‘urging’ their fans to fill up the Eden or Wankhede?
The Indians are feeling at home. And the Aussies don’t like it one bit. Isn’t that half the job done?
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