Pune pitch curator : I had warned BCCI against opting for a bald and dry pitch
Pune pitch curator Pandurang Salgaoncar said he had warned the BCCI against opting for a bald and dry wicket for the first Test against Australia. Blaming the BCCI pitch committee for the debacle, Salgaoncar further stated that no one from the Indian team had made any demands to him directly.
India lost by 333 runs in under three days in Pune's debut as a Test venue on a pitch that offered unpredictable turn and
âI had clearly warned the BCCI against preparing a bald and dry pitch. I donât want to take names, but I had told them that not watering the pitch and removing the grass cover could have a detrimental effect. I know deep within that I had tried my best to make them understand,â former Maharastra fast bowler Salgaoncar told Cricketnext.
The BCCI pitch committee is headed by Daljit Singh and the West Zone head is Dhiraj Prasanna.
âWell, what can I do? The fact is that we are reduced to helpers ahead of an international match and we have to follow the instruction of the BCCI pitch committee members present to oversee the preparation. My job was to follow their instruction and I did that,â he said.
Pune wicket is the mix of two different types of black clay, and for that, the pitch needed some grass to hold it together in the heat and it was risky to leave it as dry as it was left.
âI have no idea whose instruction it was and who from the team management asked for a turner because nobody from the team had approached me. They must have spoken to the senior curators."