IND vs NZ 2022-23, 2nd T20I: Lucknow pitch curator sacked for preparing a 'shocker' wicket

The curator of the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow has been dismissed after designing a "shocker of a pitch" for the second Twenty20 International (T20I) versus New Zealand. India won the fixture on Sunday with a ball to spare, but Indian skipper Hardik Pandya did not dice his words, calling the Lucknow track a "shocker". New Zealand was restricted to 99/8, and India had difficulty chasing the tiny target on a turning track.

"The curator has been removed and replaced by Sanjeev Kumar Agarwal, a very experienced curator. We will turn things around in a month. A lot of domestic cricket was already played on all the centre wickets ahead of the T20I, and the curator should have left one or two strips for an international game. The surface was overused, and due to the bad weather, there was not enough [time] to prepare a fresh wicket," a UPCA source briefed PTI.

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Agarwal, who has crafted pitches in Bangladesh in the past before being released in October last year, has been assigned to set things straight as far as pitch-making is involved. He will work closely with veteran Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) curator Taposh Chatterjee, the source further stated.

The T20I series decider will happen in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Hardik has been unhappy with the tracks on offer so far in the series. "To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games we have played so far. I don't mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets are not made for T20. Somewhere down the line, the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier," Hardik said after Lucknow's six-wicket win.

(With inputs from PTI)