Cricket: Well-cracked Wicket Tickles Kumble's Dry Sense of Humour

India's leg-spinner Anil Kumble, whose height and pace could be a decisive factor in tomorrow's first Test, gazed down at his home pitch and a smile slowly broke across his face.

The monsoon season that swept down from the north of India has left Bangalore damp. Nevertheless the pitch, very dry and already well cracked, is expected to help Kumble and his fellow spinner Harbhajan Singh from the opening day.

It is an arid island, an oasis in reverse. It looks like a fourth- or fifth-day wicket, and even though surfaces tend to hold together in these parts, the team who win the toss will be looking to bat first. Thereafter the bounce is likely to get lower and the surface to play slower and, possibly, to break up.

"By all reports it should hold together, but it looks terrible," said Australia's coach John Buchanan.

A year ago Australia won 3-0 in Sri Lanka, a team armed with the spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, and here again will be batting against quality spinners.

Bangalore, traditionally, has offered bounce and carry to the faster bowlers, although this relaid surface should be more helpful to the spinners. But if the cracks do widen, the pace bowlers may make life very uncomfortable, even perilous, for batsmen.

"I think it will turn," said the smiling Kumble, who is bearing down on 400 Test wickets. "And if we play three spinners they will be in the attack early. But Australia have played a lot of spin lately and the more you play the better you get. The pitch should also suit Shane Warne. Even I look up to him."

Buchanan added: "The upside is [that] because it's abrasive one would expect the ball to reverse-swing.

"It might skid, so the ball could shoot along a little bit. That's a positive for Warney."