Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has urged India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir to not interfere with the work of pitch curators. His remarks come after the Indian team management’s attempts to get a rank-turner in Kolkata backfired as they were handed a 30-run defeat in the IND vs SA 1st Test. Following the loss, Gavaskar advised Gambhir to leave the pitch curator alone and let them do their work.
Gavaskar warns Gambhir to not meddle with pitch curator’s work
Speaking to India Today, Gavaskar pointed out that IPL franchises aren’t permitted to instruct pitch curators on what kind of pitches they want, noting that the curator works independently. He warned that if the team management asks the curator to mix things up, then it could backfire on the team.
“Well, you know what happens in the IPL? No IPL franchise can influence a curator to prepare any specific kind of pitch. The curator works independently. It’s always best to leave the curator alone because he knows his job better than anyone else. When you start asking him to mix things up or prepare a pitch a certain way, it can easily backfire. That is exactly what you want to avoid,” Gavaskar said.
Despite the pitch being severely criticized, Gambhir claimed that it was just what India had wanted. The head coach’s statement was baffling the least to say, given the rapid fast pace at which wickets fell and the game getting wrapped up in just three days at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“This is what we asked for, and we are happy with what we got. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. The curator was very helpful,” Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
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