Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull lashed out at Eden Gardens pitch curator, Sujan Mukherjee, who denied KKR’s request for a pitch that is more suited to spinners. Harsha Bhogle too agreed with Doull’s statement.
Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull voiced his displeasure regarding the pitch at Eden Gardens. Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane indirectly requested a spin-friendly pitch at home but interestingly, curator Sujan Mukherjee ruled that out, citing that the defending champions have no say about the nature of the surface.
Doull lashed out at the curator following his comments and noted that the franchise pays the stadium fees and the pitches should be made after consulting with the home team. He added that Sujan shouldn’t voice his opinions on the game but rather work on the role that is given to him. He further added that the franchise should even consider going away from the city if the curator isn’t paying heed.
“If he’s (the curator) is not taking heed of what the home team wants… I mean they are paying the stadium fees, they are paying for what’s going on in the IPL but if he’s still not paying heed of what the home team wants, then just move the franchise away to somewhere else. His job is not to pass an opinion on the game. That’s not what he’s paid for,” Doull said on Cricbuzz.
Legendary commentator Harsha Bhogle agreed with Doull’s statement, stating that the home team should be given some sort of advantage, as almost all the other teams get. He reminded that KKR aren’t asking for a 120 kind of surface and neither 240 but somewhere in the middle.
“If I’m in the KKR camp, I’m extremely unhappy of what he said because I’m not asking for a 120 surface. I’m just saying, give me a surface where my bowlers can win matches. To say, ‘sorry, we don’t prepare pitches like that…’ No. We are not asking you to make a 120 pitch, we are not asking you to make a 240 pitch. But I think home advantage in a tournament like IPL is absolutely legitimate. That will enhance the tournament because winning away becomes crucial then,” Bhogle said on the same show.
