In his usual calm and composed demeanor, Mohali pitch curator Daljit Singh took questions from the reporters on the hottest topic on the eve of the first Test the pitch. Daljit who shared a sweet moment with captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday has worked on this 23-year-old pitch since its inception. He shared that the wicket has aged but it is still able to produce results.
"It's a normal Mohali wicket. Our pitch is 23-year-old, so it is not the same old fresh pitch as before. It is an ageing pitch, which has not been re-laid, but it has played well in the matches that have happened in the recent past.
"It might have slowed down a bit as it is an old pitch. like humans, the pitch also grows old. We have repaired the footmarks that were left in the previous matches and it will certainly hold well," he said.
The topic of pitch gathered momentum since Team India director Ravi Shastri allegedly berated Wankhede curator Sudhir Naik for a flat surface in the final ODI which India went on to lose by 214 runs.
Daljit hopes that the track would turn out to be a sporting one. "The main aim of the curator is to prepare a result-oriented track and that's what we have tried. The skills of the game should come on display, whether it is fast bowling, spin or bat. So we are hoping that it turns out to be a sporting track as there is prediction of rain as well on one of the days," he clarified.
He said the job of the curator is to prepare the track and the rest is up to the players to make most of it as they see fit. "Home advantage is nothing new. But it has its limitations as well. The character of the pitch will remain the same no matter what," Daljit said. "We have not made the pitch looking at one team and it remains to be seen how it will behave. A curator does not decide the result of the match. Our job is to prepare the track and then it is up to the players to perform on it."
To pour water over the fiery controversy, he added that it is standard practice to prepare pitches that suit home teams. "It happens everywhere. See what happened in England when they lost the first Test, the second Test ended in two days. It is all a controversy."
Having said all that, he avoided the key question: will the wicket turn from day 1 itselfIJ