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Kiwi manager upbraids India for refusing to play under lights

Dicky Rutnagar in Dunedin

Controversy accompanied the abandonment due to rain of the opening day of the first Test between New Zealand and India, at Carisbrook, today. An overnight downpour and recurrent bursts of drizzle forced the umpires to call off play at teatime.

New Zealand's cricket manager Steve Rixon, a former Australian Test wicket-keeper who toured India with Kim Hughes's side in 1978-79, was critical of India's reluctance to agree to the implementation in the series of two optional provisions in the playing conditions to limit wastage of time because of the weather.

The first provision is the use of floodlights in bad light. The second is the addition of a maximum of an hour's play to each of the following days, except the last.

England has agreed to the second condition in its current Ashes series. In fact, play was extended in the first Test, at Brisbane. But England too has declined the use of lights.

Rixon said, "We are disappointed that the Indians are not agreeable to these proposals, but their attitude gives us a psychological advantage because it makes us feel that we are a more positive and attacking side in this contest."

But Anshuman Gaekwad, who has a major say in policy matters on the playing side, said in defence of the Indian position: "We have experimented at home by playing first-class cricket under lights and found that the red ball is difficult to sight, disadvantaging the fielding side more than the batsmen."

As for the extension of play during the rest of the match, he said, "We took into account the fact that we are playing three back-to-back Tests at intervals of only two days and a series of five one-day internationals immediately after. This programme is crammed into a span of 25 days. That is a big strain on our team, specially when one considers the amount of cricket they have played and the travelling they have done recently."

The weather bureau has forecast two fine days ahead, but the return of showers on Monday and Tuesday, the last two days of the match. If the meteorologists' prediction is accurate, a draw seems the likely outcome.

Gaekwad said the shortening of the match will not influence the Indian team management to alter the balance of the side, which is envisaged to include three pace bowlers and wrist-spinner Anil Kumble, with Saurav Ganguly lending support as an extra seam bowler.

It is confirmed that Ajay Jadeja, who twisted his ankle during a training session yesterday, will miss the Test and that V V S Laxman, who opened in Tests in the West Indies in 1997, will take his place.

Today's washout gave Jadeja an extra day to recover, but Gaekwad said that including the vice-captain entailed the risk of aggravating his injury and extending his unavailability to the rest of the series. "No, it would not be wise to play Ajay," he said.

UNI