NOT EXACTLY PITCHFIXING

It is a routine affair in India (and probably in most of the cricket playing nations in the sub-continent) to handover gifts (in cash and kind) to the groundsmen after a cricket match.

Most of the cricketers, whether at the college, state or the national level, have engaged in this practice ever since they started playing outside their mohallas (streets) and laid their spikes on a proper cricket field. This is done majorly to reward the guy who comes to the ground at the break of dawn, gets the rollers moving and ensures that not only the pitch but also the outfield remains in top condition for a perfect contest later in the day. Usually, both the teams contribute to reward him at the end of the match irrespective of the fact whether the result goes in their favour or not. Now, whether he ends up making a couple of hundred bucks or thousands is a matter of pure luck.

Shiv Kumar, an electrician-turned-curator, is certainly amongst the more blessed ones. He reportedly got Rs ten thousand (about 240 US$) from MS Dhoni, the skipper of the Indian cricket team, for providing a "result oriented" track at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium, the venue where Indians demolished Proteas in three days in the third and final Test.

The move has kicked off a debate in the cricketing circles since it isn't a state secret that the playing strip wasn't good enough for an inter-university battle, forget about an international match. Whatever happened would now be part of cricketlore but is it justified to blame Dhoni? The Jharkhand lad was quite naturally on a high after tasting victory in his very first Test as a skipper.

Wouldn't Graeme Smith do the same thing if the Wanderers curator Chris Scott prepares a belter of a track for Messrs Steyn and Ntini to rip apart a visiting team?

Or would such a hue and cry be raised if Ricky Ponting hands over a Christmas gift to the guy preparing MCG wicket for the Boxing Day Test?

What does your cricketing logic say?