India, Aug. 10 -- In the aftermath of Gautam Gambhir's much-publicised spat with Oval head groundsman Lee Curtis ahead of the fifth England-India Test, an incident that also followed England coach Brendon McCullum in conversation with Curtis, pitch preparation has become an even hotter talking point in cricket circles. The Oval surface, notably, reverted to a traditional English pitch for that final Test, a departure from the batting-friendly tracks rolled out in the first four matches of the series.

Against that backdrop, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has made it clear that he doesn't expect any such behind-the-scenes requests from his country when England arrive for the Ashes in November.

"It'll be interesting to see which wa...