“BCCI Panel Asked Us to Remove Grass on Pune Pitch”: MCA Curator

MCA curator Pandurang Salgaonkar blames the BCCI pitch panel for the condition of the Pune wicket.

Even Cheteshwar Pujara, who has a very good defense, found it difficult to bat on the Pune pitch in the first Test against Australia. (Photo: BCCI)

India lost the first Test of the four-match series against Australia, by a whopping 333 runs, at Pune on Saturday. The main reason behind their loss was that the Indian batsmen couldn’t handle the spinners, who were being aided by the rank turner, at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) stadium.

After the ICC match referee Chris Broad gave a poor rating to the pitch, the MCA curator Pandurang Salgaonkar told Times Now that the BCCI pitch panel asked for the grass on the pitch to be removed before the Test match began.

BCCI pitch panel changed the wicket we prepared a day before the match. We prepare a good Test wicket and left grass on it. But a day before the match, BCCI’s chief curator Daljeet Singh asked us to remove the grass which deteriorated the pitch.

Pandurang Salgaonkar

Chris Broad’s report on the pitch has been forwarded to the BCCI, and the Indian cricket board has 14 days to respond to the report.

India failed to score over 110 runs in both the innings of the first Test, and off-spinner Steve O'Keefe, who hadn’t taken a five-wicket haul before the first Test, scalped six wickets in each innings of the match.

Also Read: Pune Pitch Rated ‘Poor’ By ICC Match Referee