In a society often apathetic to farmers, a section of fans, on occasion, comes alive to discuss soil. More specifically, red and black soil. Even in the recent T20 World Cup, which India won, match previews would include details on the type of soil used for the pitch, and how the colour of that soil would impact the match. Black soil is generally slower and helps spin, while red soil helps with bounce and aids batting. A mix of both, God forbid, would be difficult to predict.
At the heart of this conversation is the pitch curator, one of whom—Ramesh Mhamunkar, the chief curator at the Wankhede stadium—was the guest on episode three of the CEAT Beyond The Scoreboard. In this podcast series, THE WEEK, in association with CEAT, peels back the curtain on India’s favourite sport.
In conversation with Ayaz Memon, THE WEEK’s consultant, sports, Mhamunkar spoke about a range of topics, including how to become a curator, criticism that comes with the job and the journey from being seen as a “gardener” to earning the respect of the players.
Laying the pitch is perhaps the least understood and most hidden aspect of the game. Even experts are regularly foxed by how a pitch behaves, let alone casual fans. “In the IPL, I often hear the pitch reports," said Mhamunkar. "They would say the score could reach 240. It would eventually be 180. They come and tap the pitch, maybe scratch the surface with their nails—that tells you nothing. [M.S.] Dhoni, though, was a good reader of the pitch, especially in the shorter formats.”
Mhamunkar also had high praise for Sunil Gavaskar, whom he called the “perfect reader” of a pitch. “He would take a single, get to the other end and study the pitch,” he said.
India recently had a once-in-a-generation run in home Tests, having lost only a couple of matches in over a decade. Much of this was down to the spin-friendly pitches that the Indian curators prepared. Some western experts were miffed with this, but Mhamunkar says home advantage works both ways.
Pitch curation is in many ways a thankless job. For viewers, the ground is only alive when a match is on. For the curator and his team, it is a year-round job, and one that comes into focus mostly when the pitch is “dodgy”. Take, for instance, India’s first match in the World Cup, where the hosts were teetering at 77 for 6 against the USA before captain Suryakumar Yadav rescued the innings. “We had made the pitch so firm that the commentators were saying 200 would be easy,” said Mhamunkar. “Even the coach and captain said it was a good wicket. But then the Indian batters got out as the ball was stopping on the pitch before reaching the bat. They got out playing aerial shots. [The reason was that] the weather had changed quickly. It was cold and windy. The pitch got a bit cooler, which meant the ball was not coming on nicely. The public and the players won’t understand all this.”
Interestingly, in the semifinal at Wankhede—where India defeated England—close to 500 runs were scored.
Mhamunkar understands the frustration of the cricketers, having once been a leg spinner and opening batter himself. He was on the verge of a Ranji selection but could not make it. Cricket, however, was not to be left behind. So, he worked his way into the committee at the Maharashtra Cricket Association, where he served for 10 years, before transitioning into curation. Former Test captain Polly Umrigar was the chief curator at Wankhede at the turn of the century, and it was his energy, even in his 80s, that pulled Mhamunkar towards the art of making pitches.
Now, having been a curator for more than 25 years, he has seen up close how the field has changed in India. “Earlier, the grass had to be cut by hand; by the time you would finish clearing the whole ground, the patch you first cut would have started growing again. Now we have lawn mowers with a setting for a uniform grass height, for instance, 10mm. This is why grounds in India look nice nowadays.”
He could take some credit for that. And also for preparing the pitch on which India won its first World Cup on home soil: India vs Sri Lanka at Wankhede in 2011. For Mhamunkar, there was also a personal bonus—he was the one who had retrieved the ball that Dhoni had launched into the stands to win India the trophy.