'The first part of the five days will be exciting'

From the very first Test staged here in 1994-95, the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium at Mohali has come to be regarded with suspicion by the Indian cricket fan. Kenneth Benjamin and Courtney Walsh used the pace and bounce to bowl India out for 114 in 36 overs in the final innings to win the Test for West Indies. Five years later, India were dismissed for 83 in the first innings by New Zealand here and legend about its unIndianness grew. Notwithstanding the dullest of draws here in 2003-04, when 1054 runs were scored in the first two innings, the prominent green tinge on the playing square is enough to set the tongues wagging.

Daljit Singh, the longstanding curator of the ground leaves no room for speculations. It will be a quick wicket and it will assist seam movement, he says. But, he adds, it has rolled well, the bounce will be even and true and the batsmen can play their strokes. When you point to the cracks across the wicket, he is quick to dispel fears that the pitch might break up. "The yellow and black soil used to create this pitch, produce those cracks," he says, "but they are well binded and wouldn't break."

Singh, who is also on BCCI's pitch improvements committee, says that the behaviour of the pitch as the match progresses may depend on the weather. "Cracks may widen a bit if it gets warmer," he says, quickly adding that in no case is the pitch likely to turn in to a dustbowl.

He is of the opinion that the canopy covers will allow the pitch to breathe and remain fresh for the fast bowlers for the early part of the morning. "The first part of the first session, about 40 minutes at least, on each of the five days will be exciting."

There has been plenty of speculation about the chat Sourav Ganguly had with the curator yesterday, but Singh says that Ganguly was "happy with the wicket" and that he had no intentions of shaving off the grass. He has served up a true pitch, he says, and now it will be up to to the players to do a good job. "No matter what the curator does, he can be made to appear as a great one or a fool. It's the players who have to perform."