Oh Kolkata: are there gardening plans for The Eden?

Conspiracy theories are so often like nasty drug-taking habits: once floated, aka a Paul Harris drifting delivery, they can spin out of control. And once such an act has been committed, temptation to do it again, after the first dangerous precedent, becomes a formulaic style bank robber on the prowl for easy some pickings, knowing the law is on his side.

It would be thought, though, how after the disgrace of Kanpur 22 months ago and the debacle of the Kotla surface last December, resulting in a year's banning order by the International Cricket Council, how the scheming within the ranks of the BCCI would come up with such a desperate plan to produce a pitch designed to help India clinch a draw in a Test series with South Africa.

After all, it is India who last month went to South Africa pleading for a series of two Tests after climbing to top of the ICC rankings with their facile success over Sri Lanka, later increasing the lead against a team as abject as is Bangladesh, fielding a side incapable of genuine self-defence.

Now, having lost to South Africa at Nagpur by an innings, India's politicised board, it is suggested are behaving as would a juvenile denied their favourite videogame PlayStation and are seeking a form of revenge. Recall if you will the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium 14 months ago, where Harbhajan Singh was India's leading wicket-taker with seven wickets in a comfortable victory over Australia.

This time with the Indian bowlers struggling, they managed to achieve the penetrative effect of any would be hand-held water pistol aimed at a raging inferno and were batted into submission. Eric Simons, the team's new 'bowling consultant' no doubt looked on with some horror as the team he once coached gave Team India a thorough lesson in professionalism as well as team character, something he could not achieve in his failed reign.

Would, having already been the recipients of two ICC inquires for under-prepared pitches, the BCCI again decide to risk a third for the sake of rescuing their ranking and selectors' folly in putting together a squad that had a batting middle-order so bereft of experience it became a total embarrassment at times to watch.

It is why Krish Srikkanth and the rest of the Chennai mafia selection coterie need a little more than chastisement over their handling of the Nagpur selection fiasco. At least admitting failure has rescued their tawdry image.

Yet Graeme Smith, the South African captain with some bemusement and even tongue-in- cheek, asked those at the media conference soon after the Nagpur victory, "Will they now be taking a rake to the pitch (at Eden Gardens)?" It is a fair question. So far the pre-Test hype for The Eden suggests it is what the BCCI want, although it is said how the venue's curator, Prabir Mukherjee, has told those would be pitch saboteurs he will not tolerate such interference.

It is easy to imagine how such views as these will be disputed and claims made how South Africa and Australia prepare pitches to suit their bowlers. It is such a convenient excuse. In which case, what about a little honesty and history to show how erroneous are such preconceived notions. So often it is forgotten how in 2006, at The Wanderers and in the joust between South Africa and the Rahul Dravid-led India, and on a juicy strip, it was Shanthakumaran Sreesanth who emerged the nation's hero and play the way he did, earning the laurels and man of the match award for his efforts in that first win by India in South Africa.

Dravid won the toss and trusted his side to perform with dignity and pride, and Sreesanth, always an exuberant character, and too often misunderstood by others, more often because of the excitement he generates from the adrenaline when on the field, to help tame the South Africans. All this on a pitch that was similar to that in this last Wanderers Test between South Africa and England. Sree's first innings return of five for 40 as South Africa, in their first innings, were routed for 84.

Then there was the entertaining pantomime between Sreesanth and Andre Nel, just as excitable as can be the Kerala fast bowler. It was all about mind games and how the incident with Nel ended and the pride of each country's cricket motif being the centre point of the amusing confrontation ending with the six by Sreesanth off Nel and dancing down the pitch with his bat waved like a banner than a sword of willow after the execution of the shot. All of which didn't go down too well with ICC match referee Roshan Mahanama who issued match fee fine of 30 per cent.

India bowled better, in the right places and had the ball moving around as it was later noted by the now former coach, Mickey Arthur. Sreesanth, as at Kanpur against Sri Lanka was a revelation as a new-ball bowler, whether it is with the SG or Kookaburra.

And for those eager to quibble over the results of the other two Tests in that series, where South Africa won in Durban and later Cape Town, reflect how South Africa succumbed to an innings defeat last December to England and drew the Newlands Test. It was a time Dale Steyn relabelled 'Dale the Steyn Remover' in South African headlines after the seven wickets he collected in the first innings, was recovering from an injury as well.

The point is that India, with the World Cup barely 12 months away, would not need to go to such lengths as producing an unprepared pitch to secure a favourable result, leading to a match referee's report saying it was of inferior quality.

As it is, the ICC are still awaiting almost two years later the report of the inspection of the Kanpur pitch of the April 2008 Test that was over in two and a half days. A report so embarrassing that it was not seen by an ICC official, as it was quietly shredded, lost or somehow disappeared, tick whichever fancy euphemism box you wish to explain such a lapse.

Meanwhile, Smith may jokingly keep a wary eye out for someone holding a rake for whoever plans to indulge in a little cosmetic gardening. And you can be assured too that Mahendra Singh Dhoni would not want to level the series by any other means than through skills of players in the side.