The 2nd T20I between India and New Zealand was a low-scoring nail-biter that left everyone talking about the Lucknow pitch. New Zealand’s batsmen managed to post just 99 runs on the board, while India’s chase was far from easy, but they managed to level the series 1-1 after scoring 100 runs in 19.5 overs.
But both captains were left stunned by the spin-friendly wicket, with India’s skipper, Hardik Pandya, calling it a “shocker of a pitch”. With 18 overs of spin from New Zealand and 13 overs from India’s spinners, it’s no surprise that the pitch was a talking point after the match.
Critics, including Lucknow Super Giants mentor Gautam Gambhir, slammed the pitch and deemed it sub-standard. And after days of criticism, the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium’s curator has been given the boot.
Enter Sanjeev Agarwal from Gwalior, the new pitch curator who will also be in charge of preparing the pitches for the Lucknow Super Giants’ home matches for the upcoming IPL season.
But the drama doesn’t end there! Reports have surfaced that the Indian management asked for a last-minute change to the pitch, causing it to turn out poorly. Abhishek Tripathi, editor of Jagran News, claims that the Indian management asked the curator to switch from black soil to red soil at the very last moment, to create a spin-friendly wicket. But why was Hardik Pandya confused when he found exactly what he wanted? The mystery remains.