THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the much-awaited India-West Indies T20I series a few days away, finishing works are being carried out by the KCA ground staff on the pitch at Sports Hub, Karyavattom, before December 8. The work executed by 50 ground staff appointed by KCA had begun on November 18, after the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. According to KCA chief curator Biju A N, more ground staff will be coming over to help out. “Junior curators from different districts such as Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Ernakulam will be coming here to learn from our work and help us,’’ said Biju.
Work involves cutting grass, watering and rolling. Prashanth Rao, a curator from BCCI will also be overseeing the preparation process. “Already two pitches are set for the match. Prasanth will discuss with us and finalise the pitch to be used for the match,” said Biju. The same pitches were used for the India vs New Zealand series (2017) and the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament recently. “The first team which wins the toss will be batting on a dry wicket which has less moisture. There will be dew formation after 8 pm which results in a wet ball. It bounces higher making it more difficult for the team that bats second,” said Biju.
Until the previous year, the Sports Hub comprised just five pitches. Four more have been added this year. Among them, two have been selected foe practice sessions before the match. A 2.2-tonne Hako machine used for rolling the pitch costing Rs 7 lakh was newly procured by the KCA for the match. Effective mechanisms for tackling rain is also in place. Two super-sopper machines that were procured by the KCA at a cost of `90 lakh will absorb and pump out water in case of rain. Five additional covers have also been procured. “The ground staff holding the covers will be present near the outfield and the pitch to cover the ground quickly. The drainage of the stadium can drain out water within half an hour,” said Biju.