The last time Tillakaratne Dilshan batted at the Feroz Shah Kotla was in December last year. He faced Zaheer Khan first up and got banged on his helmet. Now batting in the IPL for Delhi Daredevils, yet still facing Mumbai Indians’ Zaheer, he wouldn’t have given ‘that’ ill-prepared pitch another thought. For his team was attempting to chase down a target of 219 in twenty overs and the surprising part is that 218 was made in the first innings in the first place.

Yes, Delhi’s hallowed cricket ground and its pitch is on the mend. This IPL league match is the first of any serious repute at this ground ever since that last ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned, and the ensuing ban was enforced by the ICC. Needless to say, it was a big occasion – a sort of a litmus test that Kolta had to pass to prove to its detractors that the World Cup matches will not be taken away from the city’s cricket lovers.

Ample bounce for both the batsmen and the bowlers, elegant and some not so elegant stroke making enthralled the crowd packed into the stands – most of them feeling like sardines one is sure. But the runs and the music flowed freely in the absence of free drinking water (there was beer in the VIP lounge though) and all that had happened some ten weeks back at the same ground had been forgiven. It would have made for a serene view had there not been a T20 match happening at the ground but nevertheless was way better than the ugly near-riot like scenes of last year. All that needs to be done now is maintain the standard of the pitches here throughout the tournament and then care some more to enable an encore for the ODI World Cup next year.

This excerpt is from an article first published at www.cricketworld.com. Read the full article here.