And in this case, India lost the toss and had to bat last, on top of everything.....
If India were touring and you needed to win, you'd be an idiot if you didn't prepare something that would suit you. Once the game starts, if someone goes in and waters the pitch before a team's innings or something like that, then that's doctoring a pitch.
This is what it comes down to, really. Other countries, like in Australia, will avoid preparing a pitch to deliberately suit their bowling needs or nullify the opposition's even if it costs them because the perception of this sort of practice is that it's dirty pool. Certainly it can be said that the Aussie curators have largely stuck to this and there are examples. One example; 1992/93 Test series against the WI, the final Test was in Perth and with the series tied at 1-1, the WACA curator went ahead and still produced a very quick pitch. The Aussies were duly wrecked by Ambrose and lost by plenty. Ambi was just coming into some serious form before that game and if the Aussies really wanted to win at all costs, they could have prepared a much flatter deck for example. That they didn't and lost the match and therefore series is one of a few examples which Aussie players/supporters/hangers on can draw upon to show everyone just how fair we Aussies are. That there are a few examples where curators in other countries produced pitches against the Aussies which completely suited the home side or, in the case of Pakistan around 1994, won the first Test then produced roads for the rest of the series, backs up the rather smug assertion that we're fair and you (i.e. other countries) are not.
It's just a perception thing, really. I have no problem with a curator preparing any sort of pitch they like as long as it isn't physically dangerous to play on. Payment, though, makes the whole affair seem just a little bit grubby when, considering the Indian team got what they publically asked for and the amount was bugger-all, it shouldn't be. They asked for a spinner, got what they wanted and won. Leave it at that. I don't think I'm missing any cultural issues in that, for example, the groundsman would have been offended had he not been given some token monetary gesture?
That said, any visiting team which does the above loses its rights to complain if the next pitch they face in Australia is a 'Gabba greentop.