GUWAHATI: Guwahati witnessed an enthralling one-day international (ODI) match on Sunday between India and West Indies in which India won by eight wickets.
However, apart from the joy of India’s victory for Guwhatians on their home ground, the match added another feather to the cap of Assam Cricket Association (ACA) as the pitch garnered praises from all quarters including from Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
The pitch also saw three centuries in total from the two teams, which is a delight for spectators in one-day matches.
ACA vice-president Devajit Lon Saikia told G Plus, “We have a pitch curators’ team along with a BCCI supervisor who worked day and night for the last two to three months and toiled hard to make the ground like a billiard table on Sunday and the result is now known to the whole world.”
Both the teams scored well on the ground and the wicket had a lot of bounce as well and helped not just the batsmen also the bowlers, he added.
Further, ACA member and one of the pitch curators, Mukut Kalita mentioned that they stuck to a schedule of rolling and maintaining a moisture balance in the pitch.
“Since there was no rain before and during the match, everything was in alignment for us. We have a 20-member ground staff team apart from the curators and the rest was the blessings from the people of Assam that everything went well,” Kalita infomed.
Mukut Kalita is also a BCCI qualified curator since 2013 and included in BCCI panel of neutral curators for home and away in Ranji Trophy.
He has been appointed by the BCCI at the Eden Gardens for Ranji Trophy Elite Group matches as a neutral curator for this Ranji season 2018-19.
He added that he was initially disappointed when India chose to field after winning the toss. “However, the West Indian team also scored well as they scored in low partnerships. Then of course, India too played a lovely innings to chase the target,” he said.
Appreciating the pitch post match Ravindra Jadeja said, “The pitch was also good to bat on—it didn’t turn much for the spinners nor was there much pace on offer for the fast bowlers.”