India, July 9 -- Pitch-making isn't an exact science, no matter what the experts might say. There are so many variables, not least the weather, which can thwart the best of designs. It's possible to predict how a surface will pan out to a certain degree, but to second-guess exactly what it will throw up is an exercise in futility.

There was a certain predictability to pitches in England in the past, which tended to assist the quicker bowlers more than anywhere else in the world, especially during the early stages of a Test. There is a certain uniformity now too, but that translates to minimal wear-and-tear as the game unfolds so that it can assist and encourage the home side to keep portraying the brand of batsmanship that has become its...