The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Chatterjee’s ingenuity works wonders

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Chatterjee’s ingenuity works wonders

G. Viswanath

Net prevents harsh sunlight from directly affecting the surface
Chatterjee learnt it from Les Burdett, the famous Australian curator

Jaipur: Taposh Chatterjee’s ingenuity has worked wonders. He’s pleased he’s found a means to preserve some moisture in the pitch and keep the grass green at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

He has covered the pitch with a green coloured net with air-pockets, but made of PVC polymer fibre to prevent harsh sunlight from directly affecting the surface.

“These are made in Delhi and I have half-a-dozen bundles of the green net which is also used as canopy around the stadium. The green colour reflects heat and hence the evaporation is considerably less,” said Chatterjee, a former Rajasthan Ranji Trophy player and now in-charge of the Stadium and also the RCA’s Future Academy.

The 51-year old Chatterjee learnt it all from Les Burdett, the famous Australian curator who imparted lessons and passed on a few tricks of the trade during a two-day session at Chandigarh.

To guide the Indians

The purpose was essentially to guide the Indians in-charge of the eight centres for the DLF-IPL Twenty20 competition and assist them to prepare a fast outfield and a firm pitch with even cover of grass.

Burdett had also brought a small piece of transparent fabric with air-pockets from Australia and gave a practical demonstration of how it works.

“The demonstration by Burdett was very educative. He placed the small piece of fabric at a particular dark spot at the Mohali ground.

“The next morning the spot below the piece of fabric had turned green. Immediately I instructed the ground staff here to place a small piece of the green net on the dark footmarks on which I had planted grass.

“The result the next morning was amazing. I have been following this method since I returned from Chandigarh. Burdett even suggested the pitch be showered with the green net on it,” said a delighted Chatterjee.

Modern equipment

Chatterjee also said that the stadium was well-equipped with modern equipment. “The BCCI has provided us a power-driven grass cutting machine which enables us to finish the work in four hours instead of two days. We save so much time.

“We have equipment that’s worth over rupees one crore,” said Chatterjee.

Bulk purchase

Last year the BCCI bought equipment for ground maintenance in bulk from an Australian company and also bowling machines from Australia and England.

“It cost the BCCI around Rs. 20 crore. We obtained customs duty exemption from the Indian Government and supplied the equipment and bowling machines as per the requirements of the member units and adjusted the money against their television subsidy,” said Prof. Ratnakar Shetty, CAO, BCCI.

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