Johnson slams curators for 'going soft' on India by preparing 'placid' pitches

Australia's pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson has slammed the curators of the pitches claiming that they have gone soft on India with the pitches prepared this summer and has also blamed the calm flat surface for his drop in speed.

Johnson said that disappointing conditions in Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne had forced him to bowl longer spells than he would have liked and he would plead with Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann to use him in short bursts again in Sydney so he can return to his full-paced, destructive best.

Australia endured a disastrous 4-0 whitewash on its 2013 tour of India on pitches that suited the home side's spinners, the Daily Telegraph reported.

And although Australia prides itself on preparing fair playing surfaces, Johnson anticipated that India might have to deal with the unfamiliar challenges of pace and bounce this summer, but that hasn't been the case.

Batsman-friendly conditions have suited India and Johnson said that players who were on that ill-fated subcontinent tour two years ago had hoped the tourists would be made to feel a little more uncomfortable on Australian soil.

Johnson claimed that they played in India and lost four-nil on some pretty ordinary wickets, adding that he thought his side was hoping for India to go to Australia and play on some good, bouncy, wickets.

However, he claimed that wickets have been suited for the batters more than anything.

Johnson insisted that the MCG pitch didn't change, claiming that one likes a wicket to break up during a five-day wicket. And he claimed that it looked like a three-day wicket by the end of it.

Johnson's speeds have dropped against India compared to when he single-handedly wiped England off the park with 37 wickets at blistering speeds regularly in the vicinity of 150 kilometer-per-hour.

This series, Johnson has claimed 13 wickets at 35.5, his worst average since the 2011-12 summer.