Sehwag calls for wickets that aid spinners

Making himself heard in a debate that will not die, Virender Sehwag has called for India to return to preparing pitches that can be exploited by their spinners.

"We should play to our strengths," Sehwag said today, after stroking a century on a surface that, like the one at Ahmedabad, has only assisted batsmen. "If spin is our strength then we should definitely make pitches that take spin. What is wrong in that?"

"When we go abroad we get seaming wickets with grass. I don't know why the groundsmen are not preparing turning tracks. This is the slowest wicket I have played on at Mohali."

Expectedly, Craig McMillan, one of five centurions on the first three days of this Test, went the other way. Like New Zealand coach Ashley Ross before the match, McMillan said that India will not be a force overseas so long as the pitches lack bounce.

"At home you are unbeatable, but as soon as the ball is bouncing above the hips, you are struggling," McMillan said. "Over here the ball barely rises above the knees."

"Our effort in New Zealand has been to be successful in all conditions. We have won in England, in West Indies and drawn in Sri Lanka. A lot of the credit for our performance here goes to the planning and dedication before the tour."

Meanwhile, IS Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, has apologized for the pitch. "The buck stops with me," he told the match broadcasters in an interview, "I will make sure that Mohali doesn't have such a pitch again."