The two wickets that fell in the first session, 78 for two in 20.2 overs, were also the ones where batsmen didn't apply themselves than being deceived by bowlers.
Barring an odd ball from Lakshan Sandakan which spun back long way to ping Murali Vijay on the back leg, there was nothing that suggested that the Indians were in trouble after losing two wickets in the first session of the third and final Test here at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday.
The two wickets that fell in the first session, 78 for two in 20.2 overs, were also the ones where batsmen didn't apply themselves than being deceived by bowlers.
Otherwise the track which was chosen by Indian team management in the name of "green top" to prepare for upcoming South Africa tour was nothing less than the typical flat Kotla wicket.
And this at a time when the instructions from the dressing room to all the pitch curators was to try and dole out tracks similar to those in Rainbow Nation.
Barring Kolkata's first Test where Sourav Ganguly ensured that instructions are being followed in toto, the other Test venues seem to have failed in execution.
DNA has reliably learnt that Kotla curators, led by BCCI's own Daljit Singh, are not to be blamed for doling out this flat track. The original track prepared for final Test was the one on the left side if one is entering from the Wellington Pavilion end of Kotla.
But as been the practice around the world, host association always prepare two wickets in run up to any international game and Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) curators under Singh's guidance also were rolling and covering two strips for last week or so.
It was only around 12.30 noon on the eve of the match that coach Ravi Shastri and assistant coach Bharath Arun came out in the middle to inspect the square. They were shown the main pitch and the stand-by wicket as usual by the curator. It was then that the two from Indian think-tank apparently got involved in a long discussion after seeing grass on the main track.
"It was conveyed to them (Shastri and Arun) that even with this extra grass there would not be any extra assistance to pacer except for early morning moisture during this time of the year," an insider told DNA.
"Delhi wicket's usual character is slow and low. With this little grass on it, it would be ideal for stroke-play after a while," was another argument came in favour.
Knowing well what happened in Kolkata, where entire batting line-up crashed before Suranga Lakmal's seam bowling, the two gentlemen unanimously killed all the arguments and instead opted for stand-by track.
Going by India's track record before any tough overseas series, the decision of Shastri or team is hardly a surprise. It was in 2010 when India literally piled on runs against New Zealand in the three-Test series played at Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Nagpur.
And when Team India faced Proteas attack in Centurion few days after, seven out of 10 batsmen could not reach the double figure and match was lost by an innings and 25 runs. Later, India managed to level series by winning the next low-scoring game in Durban.
The situation before 2013 South African series was almost similar as India whitewashed West Indies in both Tests played at home. Besides Rohit Sharma (2) and Cheteshwar Pujara (1), lower-order batsman R Ashwin too got three figure score against the Caribbean side.
Rest is history as Team India not only lost series in SA, but also faced defeats in six Tests one after another in New Zealand, England and Australia.
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