The curator who has prepared the pitch of the Rajiv Gandhi International cricket stadium at Raipur claims that it equates to international standards and the pitch would support seam bowlers more than the spinners.
The task of laying down the pitch was handed over to the Golf Design Company which sent Dayanand Sharma from Bangalore for it. Talking to The Pioneer, Sharma said that the incessant rains during monsoon presented an initial challenge for the assignment. He informed that black cotton soil was used to lay the top layer of the pitch. The thickness of this layer is eight inches.
The curator who has a rich experience of laying and maintaining pitches in different international stadiums of the country said that the stadium has a sand based outfield with a network of perforated drainage pattern beneath this layer.
Sharma said that stadium would be drained out with in an hour even after most heavy of rains. The stadium has five main pitches and five practice pitches. Showing the green grass over these pitches, the experienced curator opined that they would help seam bowlers. A practice match was played on the pitch recently which showed good bounce and seam movement.
The curator informed that it took more than six months for him to prepare the pitch. He was of the view that the stadium is among most beautiful and modern stadiums in the country.
On the inaugural day a friendly 20-20 match would be played between Uttar Pradesh XI and Uttarakhand XI. The UP team would be led by star cricketer Suresh Raina.