IND v AUS: Eden Gardens curator worried about pitch conditions for 2nd ODI

The much-anticipated India vs Australia series is set to start from September 17 and will comprise 5 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 3 T20 Internationals (T20Is). The extensive tour will see the two teams fighting it out at various venues all over India from September 17-October 13. With the 2nd ODI scheduled to be held at the regal Eden Gardens, Kolkata, the curator of the ground, Sujan Mukherjee is facing a conundrum about setting up the pitch owing to incessant rains in the ‘City of Joy’.

For the past few weeks, Kolkata has been experiencing heavy showers which has disrupted pitch preparations completely. It is common knowledge that Indian Coach, Ravi Shastri prefers wickets that assist the home team and has expressed his dissatisfaction with pitches prepared otherwise in the past, notably in the ODI game between India and South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in 2015. Mukherjee, as a result, is having a tough time in chalking out the schedule to bake the wicket as per requirements in the current overcast conditions, with such little time in hand.

Eden Gardens Curator in a fix over preparing pitch

In a talk with CricketNext, Mukherjee related his concern by saying, “It has been raining continuously in Kolkata. I am obviously tense and worried because I need clear sky and the sun baking the wicket so that we can prepare a good wicket. Even till Tuesday we had rain and then again, the forecast remains the same for the next few days. In fact, rainfall is expected even during the time of the ODI and those hailing from Kolkata would know that the scenario remains the same every year around this time. Eastern India experiences rainfall in these months before the monsoon retreats.”

However, Sujan Mukherjee seemed confident that the wicket will be up to the usual playing standards. “No, there is no threat of an under-prepared wicket as such. We have prepared quality wickets in the last couple of years and don’t expect anything but the best effort from our groundsmen. But then, you cannot fight nature. Almost all regions around Kolkata is flooded at the moment. In such a scenario, to expect that you will get a belter will be wrong. The situation might well see the home team getting slight advantage as the pitch will take turn and the dampness will make stroke-playing difficult,” he said.

He further dismissed any speculation about the match being shifted out of Kolkata due to lack of preparedness on part of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and commented, “I don’t really see the game coming under threat due to the wicket. It is just that the rain is creating havoc and well I can only wait and hope that I get some time to prepare the wicket as per norms.” The 2nd ODI of the series at the Eden Gardens will be held on September 21.