© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
India’s defeat in the first Test at Kolkata against South Africa, where they failed to chase 124, put the spotlight on Eden Gardens pitch. From the first hour, where pacer Jasprit Bumrah removed opener Ryan Rickelton to a delivery that kept a tad low and Aiden Markram with one that climbed awkwardly, the pitch had unpredictable behaviour with only one batsman scoring fifty as it finished under three days.
Since pitch-making isn’t a specific science, a thin line separates it from track which helps spinners to the wicked wicket where batting is impossible.
Here are the complications of making a true sporting spin track.
A combination of factors, including a request from the Indian team to prepare a turner. Strangely, after their last Test against West Indies at Kotla last month, India’s head coach had claimed: “I think the first and foremost thing to keep Test cricket alive is playing on good surfaces”. At Eden Gardens, the ground staff had stopped watering the pitch four days ahead of the Test. “When you stop watering, this is what happens,” says veteran curator Nadim Memon from Mumbai.
With hardly any sunshine on offer, it is learnt that the staff even let the pitch open so that it absorbs moisture and prevents it from breaking apart. But it crumbled from Day 1 with batsmen battling for survival as the up and bounce and sharp turn caused all sorts of problems for both teams.
“The pitch wasn’t watered for more than three days, which means it is already dry. And when the rolling is done on a dry pitch, it will bring uneven bounce into play because the pitch isn’t binding,” Memon, who oversaw the famous Wankhede pitch in 2004, where the Test ended in three days with Michael Clarke 6/9, says.
A pitch is considered good in India when it helps pacers in the first morning, before it gets better for batting on Day 2, and gradually starts taking a turn from Day 3. On this pitch, Day 5 is considered the most challenging to bat. There have also been pitches that take turns from Day 1, but batsmen are still able to score without having to worry about survival.
But making such a pitch isn’t foolproof, as there are natural elements involved. When teams give specific instructions such as a seaming deck or a turner, it can go wrong. Since the arrival of WTC, host teams have preferred result-oriented pitches in an attempt to maximise home advantage.
Traditionally, Indian pitches have been flat but deteriorate over the course of five days by bringing spinners to play from Day 3 or 4. But it is as subjective since you cannot predict the degree of turn. If it crumbles quickly, it will take more turns, and even the bounce will be unpredictable.
According to Memon, it is possible to prepare a turning pitch where there is a balance between bat and ball, which was missing in Eden Gardens. “Preparing a turner is simple. You have to ensure there is no grass, there is less watering and less rolling — mostly with a half-tonne roller. When this happens, it won’t crumble quickly. You have to ensure there is enough moisture for rolling. When you have that, you will get a turner,” he says.
Another curator, who wishes to remain anonymous because of contractual obligations, adds a rider. “You have to remember, this is winter. If a team asks for a turner, they wouldn’t be aware of the local conditions. Only the local ground staff will know how a pitch will behave in certain months,” this curator says.
When a team puts in a request, a curator will have to make a few alterations. “Once the pitch preparation starts, any curator will prepare one that lasts all five days. It is only closer to the game – three or four days before — that you make the adjustments. If a turner is asked, the first thing to do is to gradually bring down the watering or stop it totally, depending on the level of water already on the surface,” he explains.
Memon adds: “The Eden curator is getting a lot of criticism, but it’s the BCCI central curators who oversaw the preparation. The pitch preparation should be left to the respective state curator because he is the one who knows the conditions inside-out… Any curator will know how to prepare a pitch with home advantage in it. You don’t need a BCCI curator for it.
Out of 40 wickets, 16 were taken by pacers who thrived on variable bounce on offer, and while it can’t be called a turner for certain, it’s one that behaved differently compared to what India and the ground staff wanted.
In the weeks and months leading up to the first Test, Kolkata had been witnessing heavy rains. With the pitch not being watered for four days, the black soil pitch was going to crumble even without extreme sunlight. The second curator explains where it can go wrong.
“Whether it’s a seaming deck or a turner, everything depends on overhead conditions, nature of soil and grass and watering. A curator will be preparing a good pitch, and when instructions are given, he has to alter his plans. Since the elements are out of the ground staff’s control, there is always scope for it to go wrong. Before you alter a pitch, the soil profile, thickness of grass, and moisture levels have to be factored,” he said.
