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From Bourda to Sabina. All the pre-Test talk was about the pitch. What kind of surface the teams were likely to encounter?

How much bounce will the pacers get? Would they favour the spinners?

These were questions asked repeatedly in the prelude to the Cable & Wireless series between the West Indies and India.

And mind you, the groundstaff at the respective grounds were very forthcoming with their answers as well.

Bourda was, well, Bourda – placid and full of runs.

The Queen's Park Oval, usually tricky and very much in favour of spin, wasn't supposed to be like that this time. Head curator Brian Davis said that it would be to the liking of the fast bowlers.

He appeared to have influenced the selection of both teams to the point where the West Indies resorted to four pacers and India quite shockingly went in with three seamers leaving out their most successful, contemporary bowler, leg-spinner Anil Kumble.

That India won wasn't quite the proof of the pudding, that the pitch was indeed conducive to pace.

Kensington turned out to be the right mix – some moisture, some grass, some dryness, some bounce.

The perfect setting for a series-equalling win for the West Indies. The Antigua Recreation Ground, traditionally a batsman's paradise, didn't change its character.

India 513 for nine declared and the West Indies 629 for nine becomes self-explanatory.

The groundsmen at Sabina promised a surface that would be "competitive". But is too much emphasis being placed on the state of the pitches?

I think so.

At the end of the day it is more to do with the overall proficiency of both teams that decide success or failure.

You can have any type of surface but if you don't have the bowlers necessary to exploit the conditions or conversely the batsmen to deal with any problems that might arise you're as good as dead.

This is not to say that I don't believe that groundsmen should not consciously try to provide the home team with the kind of pitch to favour them but the ability to capitalise is vital.

I find that often when teams fail to play to their true potential the pitch is one of the first things they look to blame without accepting the results any critical analysis might produce about their performance.

I am a firm believer in the theory that usually you get out what you put in. Only if pitches could talk they might agree.

© Barbados Nation