“Such pitches will kill Test cricket. It’s a free ticket to batsmen and offer no contest,” Harbhajan told PTI from Ahmedabad.
Tthe Motera track has drawi flak from all quarters and both captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara said they expected the pitch to offer some assistance to the bowlers on the last two days.
Bowlers now have genuine concerns for their careers in India, said Harbhajan. Despite his 2 for 189 from 48 overs at Motera, Harbhajan is not overtly concerned about his own well-being as he has picked up 54 wickets from these 12 Tests against batting sides such as Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, England and Sri Lanka.
“It’s not me alone. At least I bowled on the second and third day (of the Motera Test). The best match-winner in the history of the game (Murali) was struggling to go past the bat even on the fifth afternoon,” said Harbhajan with palpable concern.
“It doesn’t matter if the pitch is not spinner-friendly. It would be alright even if it helps seamers alone. But bowlers need to be in business. They shouldn’t be there to just serve the batsmen,” he added. India will take on Sri Lanka in the second Test of the three-match series in Kanpur from Tuesday.
