Two different pitches, balls in same match will improve Indian cricket: Sachin

Iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Saturday gave a radical suggestion of introducing two different balls and two pitches in the same match in domestic cricket to improve the standard of the game in the country.

The 43-year-old, who retired from Test cricket in 2013, said this will help to maintain a balance between two different kinds of tracks and also play with two different balls.

"We should not make tailor-made pitches. Let us make green top pitches in India. We should make our batsmen and spinners play on them," Tendulkar said, during an interactive session at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here.

"We need to make our bench strength get used to foreign pitches and conditions (like New Zealand, England, Australia, South Africa). Our spinners need to know which areas to bowl in the first innings on a green top. Let us have two sets of pitches in domestic cricket. Green tops and also turning tracks. I would want the first innings to be played on green top.

"The second innings should be played on the turning track. If we can do this, we will be prepared for any condition. We need to travel better. This also means playing with two different balls and that means also playing with the kookaburra ball (also SG balls). For the bench strength it is important to know how a kookaburra ball seams or swings. When we play on two different surfaces, the captain knows if he bowls first, he'll be batting fourth on a rank turner. So, it's not going to be easy," he added.

Tendulkar also mentioned that players in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are not used to playing with SG balls and they might also start the same process of playing with different balls.

The Mumbai cricketer said the toss doesn't decide the outcome of the match as it only gives 10 per cent advantage to the winning team.

"Toss only allows the captain to have only 10 per cent advantage, but not the 80 per cent advantage where the wicket is damp, you put the opposition in, and when you go out to bat, it's a flat wicket, you score 600 runs and get them out again. That will stop," Tendulkar said.

"This move will also teach our batters to play on turning tracks. This will help in winning abroad," he added.

Tendulkar said that heart of cricket is the surface. "The surface allows fair competition between bat and ball."

"Playing back-to-back home and away series between the same teams will bring a lot more excitement for the audiences. Then home and away competitions would become fair," he said.

--IANS

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