How a Paralympian-turned-curator made a cricketing oasis out of a wasteland

These days,the stadium is a pleasant setting with a hill on one side and a valley on the other. The outfield is lush and the club house resplendent with old-school charm. And while Gunjal attributes the selection of the venue to KSCA8217;s Dharwad region convener Babu Bhusad-because ek taraf upar tha,ek taraf neeche,in his words-the civil contractor suddenly found himself dealing with the responsibility of being the curator with no prior experience. But it8217;s here that he found a new-age solution to his quandary. Google had all the answers he sought.

I used to see how pitches were being made in England and Australia 8212; the kind of soil being used there,the clay content on different pitches. I would study them and try to put it into practical use by testing soil at home. Perth with 70 per cent clay content was my ideal pitch, says Gunjal.

Having used the internet to learn the art of making pitches,Gunjal and Bhusad now set out on a unique jungle adventure of their own in search of the ideal soil. The curator recalls how they would hop onto a van with an empty bottle and a sickle and traverse into thick jungles stretching from Hubli to the Karnataka-Goa border. To narrow down their search,they even approached vendors making Ganpati idols,as the soil they used contained a high percentage of clay.

Then we struck gold in Kalghatti,a dense jungle 30km from Hubli. The black soil there contained 50 per cent clay,which was sent for testing in the lab and then I used it to make the pitch here, says Gunjal.

Levelling the uneven surface required 10,000 truckloads of soil. In addition to the internet,Gunjal and Bhusad also spent long hours at the horticultural department,understanding the qualities of various types of grass for the outfield.

I didn8217;t know the Bermuda from the Mexican or even the names for that matter. Then a chance visit with Chinnaswamy Stadium curator Narayan Raju to the Wankhede Stadium helped me understand that concept as well, Gunjal says.

His extensive knowledge of cricket pitches aside,Gunjal remains a cricket nut. And he recalls his days playing for the Karnataka University team as a wicketkeeper-with first slip stood right next to him-despite a disability in his right arm,which doesn8217;t have any strength. He also informs you about his nine-year-old son Shatak,named so because Gunjal had predicted that his idol Sachin Tendulkar would complete a century of centuries back in 2004 itself.

While work at the KSCA stadium in Hubli began in 2003,the venue hosted its first major game last year when Karnataka and Haryana played a Ranji Trophy league encounter. It was a big day for Gunjal,and he ensures that despite the big scores,his pitch produced interesting cricket between bat and ball.

He promises much the same when India A and West Indies A clash in the third unofficial Test here,starting on Wednesday. And he also wishes for an encore of another kind.

Amit Mishra came here,scored a double-hundred and made a comeback to the Indian team from here, says Gunjal. Hopefully Viru or Gautam will do the same this time. There8217;ll be grass on the wicket so Zaheer might have a chance too.