Will Kotla pitch hold up for five days?

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Will it, or will it not last the five days of a cricket Test match? It is a question that has become synonymous with the pitches at the Feroz Shah Kotla here especially after the December 2009 fiasco that saw an India-Sri Lanka one-day international being called off with less than 25 overs being bowled.

Thereafter, the cricket control board and the Delhi and District Association went into damage control mode to ensure the venue would not miss out on the 2010 World Cup despite a year-long ban.

Scores though continue to be on the lower side, even though they were relatively healthier in the second India-England one-dayer here last month.

But laying out a track for 100 overs and hoping it will last for five days is another matter. The first match against the West Indies that starts on Sunday will be the first Test to be played here since the ban, and doubts still persist over the durability of the pitches on the Kotla square.

And with good reason, It was revealed earlier this week that there had been a mix-up in the soil that had been used to re-surface the playing area resulting in still more confusion amongst the match organisers.

DDCA vice-president DDCA Chetan Chauhan has however, rubbished the speculation, saying the selected pitch would last the five days if needed.

“We played two matches without preparing the wicket and it lasted three days. I am sure the wicket will last full five days. All this talk is rubbish, it is old news,” Chauhan was quoted as saying.

For years, the red dust of the Kotla was synonymous with success for Anil Kumble, whose most famous feat came on this surface. On Friday, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was quick to take a look at the playing area, now under covers, before heading for nets.

With speculation mounting, and the DDCA’s officialdom retreating to their usual state of denial, both teams involved in the Test match will be hoping that all the work that has gone into the track will ensure it at least is “the usual Indian pitch, dusty and low and slow”.