CHENNAI: That the MA Chidambaram Stadium has been on the slower side of late is well-known. Even during the last domestic one-day season, teams posting below 250 more often than not ended up on the winning side.
But the surface for this IPL season’s opener was an absolute rank turner, prompting both Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli to express their dissatisfaction. That pushed authorities to take measures for preparing a sporting wicket for the next clash at the venue.
And the wickets for Chennai’s second home game — against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday — look good and promise a run-fest.
Three surfaces — wicket No 3, 4 and 5 — have been prepared for the clash. They are hard and bereft of grass. Canopies have been erected for protecting these strips from direct exposure to sunlight.
This has been done so that these strips do not have too many cracks on them when the teams turn out for their game come Sunday.
“Wicket 4 was used for the first game. All three are good, and it’s up to CSK’s management to pick the surface they want,” disclosed a source involved in the preparations. “In case they do not want the strip on which the last game was played, wicket 5 looks ideal for T20s. Again the final call will be that of CSK’s.”
Even former India captain Gundappa Viswanath feels that the 22-yard strip at Chepauk will be at its best behaviour come Sunday.
“The wicket for the first game was a bit slow, turned a lot and was not suited for T20 cricket. Since it was the first game of the season, one can forgive the nature of the wicket. I have played a lot at Chepauk, and I am sure that from the second game, the wicket at Chepauk will be one that suits T20s.”
Much of the blame for the poor wicket for the first game was placed on the BCCI neutral curator. The backlash from the incident eventually resulted in the board recalling them from the venues. Even the Rajasthan clash on Sunday will not involve the services of a neutral curator.
There is also a school of thought among many former cricketers and administrators that neutral curators should be done away with. But Viswanath feels that their presence is crucial for the game to retain its balance. “In cricket, we have a neutral set of umpires and a match referee who does not belong to either of the teams. So it’s good to have a neutral curator who can ensure a good contest.”