Lucknow pitch curator sacked after being asked to prepare fresh surface by Team India management at the last minute: Reports

In a new twist to the Lucknow T20I pitch controversy, the curator of the surface has supposedly been sacked. According to reports, the Indian team management made a last-minute request for a fresh pitch for the second T20I against New Zealand that was played at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Sunday, January 29.

On an extremely sluggish surface, New Zealand crawled to 99/8 after winning the toss and opting to bat first. The Men in Blue also struggled in the chase and needed 19.5 overs to get over the line, winning the match by six wickets.

Following the unconvincing win, Team India captain Hardik Pandya described the pitch in Lucknow as a “shocker”. According to a report in The Indian Express, the curator had prepared two black soil pitches for the game in advance.

Quoting inside sources, the report added:

“At the behest of a last-minute request from team management three days prior to the match, the curator had been asked to prepare a fresh pitch made of red soil instead. The new pitch could not be adequately prepared on short notice, and led to even slower conditions.”

The report went on to add that the curator in Lucknow has now been replaced by Sanjeev Agarwal from Gwalior, who will prepare pitches ahead of the IPL matches.

Chasing a target of 100 in Lucknow, India were struggling at 70/4 in the 15th over. An unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 31 between Suryakumar Yadav (26*) and skipper Pandya (15*) took the hosts home with one ball to spare.

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What Team India skipper Hardik Pandya said about the Lucknow pitch

Following India’s hard-fought six-wicket win in the Lucknow T20I, Men in Blue skipper Pandya termed the pitch a shocker of a wicket. Speaking at the post-match presentation, he commented:

“To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games (pitches) we have played on so far (have been shockers). I don’t mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets are not made for T20. Somewhere down the line, the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier.”

Team India bowling coach Paras Mhambrey also expressed unhappiness over the Lucknow surface after the low-scoring game. Speaking at a press conference, he said:

“The curator is the right person to answer that question (on pitch). There was a little grass covering on the middle, but there was none on both ends. When we came yesterday, it looked like it would turn and we realised it would be challenging.”

With the series tied 1-1, India and New Zealand will meet in the decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 1.