Kotla wicket ready to take fresh guard

“Woh toh stadium gaye hain ji. Subah se shaam tak wahin par rehete hain (He’s gone to the stadium. He’s there from dawn to dusk),” she said. It’s immaterial as to who answered the phone, but the ‘woh’ here refers to DDCA curator Radhe Shyam. And when an old hand like him spends as many as 16 hours — 6:30 am to 10:30 pm to be precise — at the Feroz Shah Kotla, monitoring proceedings around that rectangular 22-yard strip, then you know it’s serious business.

Serious it better be as the historic venue in the Capital has a reputation to protect. The sequence of events on that pleasant Sunday (December 27, 2009) turned out to be utterly unpleasant for Sri Lanka’s batsmen and, subsequently, honchos at the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association. It may be recalled that the fifth and final ODI between India and Kumar Sangakkara’s team lasted only 23.3 overs.

The match was called off after officials decided that the pitch had “extremely variable bounce and was too dangerous for further play”. It was a day when the Ashish Nehras and Sudeep Tyagis transformed into Dennis Lillees and Malcolm Marshalls. The ball travelled from toe to head in a matter of three deliveries. Luckily, no one was seriously injured.

“I was not part of the team that prepared that wicket,” Shyam informs. “Don’t you remember what Anil Kumble achieved in 1999? I was in charge then,” the veteran reminds. On a more serious note, Shyam, who has been the chief curator at the Kotla since 1996, is hell-bent on ensuring there is no such fiasco again.

“We are working hard to prepare a perfect ODI wicket. ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson was here to supervise.”

So what kind of a wicket will be on offer when South Africa take on the West Indies in a day-nighter on Thursday? “It will be a typical Kotla wicket — full of runs,” Shyam says, before adding, “But there will be dew, much more than what we normally have during this time of the year,” he cautions.

Former India opener Chetan Chauhan, who is the vice-president of DDCA, is equally confident. “Let’s not talk about the past. We have learnt from our mistakes. We have left a bit of grass to bind the wicket and there will be good carry for the pacers,” he says.
Delhi stalwart Rajat Bhatia says the Kotla hosted a Ranji Trophy game earlier this season. “The low was a bit low, but the wicket was safe. I can assure you it will be a safe wicket. Teams should take into account the dew factor,” he says.

For the record, the Thursday’s game will be played on the strip adjacent to the ‘infamous’ one. The DDCA, perhaps, doesn’t want to take chances!