New Delhi, Nov. 21: Miffed with the docile pitch in the drawn Ahmedabad Test against Sri Lanka, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Saturday said such batting-friendly tracks would kill cricket’s longest format.

"Such pitches will kill Test cricket. It’s a free ticket to batsmen and offer no contest," Harbhajan said.

The Motera track has drawn flak from all quarters and both captains — Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara — said they expected the pitch to offer some assistance to the bowlers on the last two days.

Seven of the last 12 Tests in India have been draws. One triple century, six double and as many as 32 Test centuries have been hit.

One score in excess of 700, three each of 600 and 500 runs and no less than six scores of 400 and more have been managed. The bowlers understandably have groaned under the strain. It has not mattered that the likes of Dale Steyn, Andrew Flintoff, Shoaib Akhtar or Muttiah Muralitharan have been in action on these tracks.

Bowlers now have genuine concerns for their careers in India, said Harbhajan.

"It’s not me alone. At least I bowled on the second and third day (of the Motera Test). The best match-winner in the history of the game (Murali) was struggling to go past the bat even on the fifth afternoon," Bhajji said with a palpable concern. "It doesn’t matter if the pitch is not spinner-friendly. It would be alright even if it helps seamers alone. But bowlers need to be in business. They shouldn’t be there to just serve the batsmen," he added.

Dilshan injured

Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered a fracture to his nose while playing football but his team manager says he will be available for the second Test match in Kanpur, starting on Tuesday.

Dilshan collided with one of his team-mates while playing football after the first Test in Ahmedabad on Friday and he was immediately rushed to a hospital for an X-ray examination.

Brendon Kuruppu, Sri Lanka’s team manager, though said there was no need to worry as the injury was not serious."He is not in any kind of great discomfort. He will resume practice with the rest of the team tomorrow," Kuruppu said.

Meanhwile, there was a security breach inside the Green Park stadium premises, when a man carrying a revolver broke through the security cordon, hours after the Indian and Sri Lankan teams arrived in Kanpur on for the second Test.

The man, who claimed to be a journalist, was arrested by the police immediately and is being interrogated. Kanpur DIG B.P. Jogdand said the city police immediately sprang into action after they got information that a man was roaming near the parking area of the stadium with a revolver in his waistband. — PTI