Kotla pitch will last full five days, asserts Chauhan

New Delhi: As the controversial Feroz Shah Kotla pitch braces up to host its first Test after a 12-month ban, DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan on Friday assured that it will last the entire five days when India and West Indies square off here from Sunday.

Delhi and District Cricket Association officials have been quoted in the media as saying that they could not get the "right mix" of soil and were hoping the lack of bind would not result in a crumbling wicket. But Chauhan brushed aside such speculation, saying the wicket has been tested enough. "We have 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," said Chauhan. Asked about the excessive salt and lime content that could eventually lead to crumbling of the wicket, Chauhan said, "they have been washed away by the rainy season. And we have also been watering the track." "We are using water through the RO system," he added. Prepared under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, BCCI`s grounds and pitches committee chairman, it will be a typical Indian wicket, dry and spin-friendly, and is not likely to assist the seamers for too long. The ground came under fire two years ago when an ODI match between India and Sri Lanka had to be stopped after match officials decided the pitch was of "extremely variable bounce and too dangerous for further play". A 12-month ban was placed on the ground after an inspection by an ICC team. The upcoming Test will the first here since the ban was revoked, though it had hosted one-dayers, during the World Cup and the recent ODI against England. PTI