The cricket world is flat and India, Australia, SA tell you that

It must be the pitch. Australia’s batsmen, on an average, are technically as good as others around the world. Perhaps on bouncy tracks they are even better. Which is why — it must be the pitch. How else do you explain 23 wickets falling on one day when the two competing sides — Australia and South Africa — are the best in the world? South Africa lost their last nine wickets for 47 and then Australia were all out for 47. Why Australia, former kings of the world, were also faltering at 21-9 at one point before the last wicket partnership rescued them from complete ignominy. Surely – it was the pitch. [caption id=“attachment_129011” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“How do you explain 23 wickets falling on one day when the two competing sides — Australia and South Africa — are the best in the world? Reuters”] [/caption] In a different part of the world, India were dismissed in the first innings of the first Test against West Indies for 209. The ball was keeping a bit low but it wasn’t jumping off the track. Yet, the first question that was asked by anyone who heard the score was, ‘Pitch?’ The truth is that the art of playing on tracks that offer any sort of assistance to the bowlers is more and more becoming a lost art. For a long time, India’s batsmen were referred to as flat-track bullies but now that is true for the rest of the world as well. These are batsmen brought up on Twenty20 and ODIs who believe that the only way to play cricket is to score quick runs. For if you can’t do that – you are led to believe that you are no good; no good to strike it rich in the IPL, the Big Bash, County and more. And that can never be easy to deal with. In India, whether the selectors would like you to believe or not, the team is already picked on the basis of IPL performances. How do you explain leg-spinner Rahul Sharma getting into India’s Test team as well? Perhaps the thinking of the selectors is that if he can keep batsmen quiet on the flat tracks we have seen in the IPL, he can surely do a good job in ODIs and Tests. But if that’s how things work, then Harbhajan can do that too. If only it was that easy. Many batsmen had taken the same path to Test teams as well. Shaun Marsh, now in the Australian team as opener, made his mark in the IPL as well. Shane Watson came back into the reckoning after a good season in the IPL. And in reality you can’t blame them for sticking to their game. After all, that’s what got them into the team in the first place. But when the pitch (Yes, this time it was the pitch), is helping the bowlers – these very same Goliaths of the T20 game falter, struggle and perish without a sound. Australia would like to pass off getting all out for 47 as a one-off but there is no hiding the fact that the former Kings of the World have been dismissed for less than 100 thrice in little more than a year. The other two instances were — 88 against Pakistan at Headingley and 98 against England at Melbourne. In stark contrast, in the preceding 25 years — Australia were bowled out for under 100 just once, and that was on a Mumbai pitch which made every ball seem spit venom. While T20 and ODI cricket have their own place – they do serve as entertainment – real cricket is and will remain Test cricket. And for the moment, sadly, Australia, India, South Africa, West Indies and more just don’t seem up for it.