JOIN USAsked for his comments on the pitch fiasco which led to the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka fifth one-dayer on Sunday, Harbhajan said there was something wrong with the Kotla surface and it could have been dangerous for even Indian players if the home side had batted first.
“The pitch was behaving in a surprising manner and the Sri Lankan players got injuries due to the fault of the pitch. The decision to call off the match was right,” Harbhajan, who was here to witness the cricket tournament in the name of his father Sardev Singh at Burlton Park stadium, said.
“It is always better to hold some practice matches on any new pitch instead of directly going for international matches,” he said.
Harbhajan said the youngsters in the Indian team had performed well whenever they got chances and that would serve India well in the 2011 World Cup.
“The newcomers have performed well. By the time of the World Cup, they will have attained experience as well and ultimately prove to be an asset to the team,” he said.
Harbhajan said he wanted to contribute with the bat also, but said he had been lacking consistency as a batsman. “For establishing myself as an all-rounder, consistency in batting is needed, which is lacking in me. But I will try my best to improve by batting also,” he said.
On the bowlers giving away runs by the bucketful in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, Harbhajan said on flat pitches, batsmen would score quick runs even in Test matches.
“Even in Test matches in Ahmedabad and Kanpur, almost 2000 runs were scored during the whole match.”