'Bluff marr raha hain'- Fans react as Eden Gardens Curator Sujan Mukherjee says pitch in ODI World Cup 2023 will be bowling friendly

One of the semifinals of the ODI World Cup will be hosted in Kolkata's Eden Gardens and Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, with the final being staged in Ahmedabad. Eden Gardens is in full flow with pitch preparations for the ODI World Cup, which is a little less than three months away.

Advertisment

The tournament begins on October 5, with Bangladesh taking against a qualifier on October 28 at Eden. The West Indies won the T20 World Cup in 2016, which was held in Kolkata. And, with audience capacity in mind, the planners have chosen Eden Gardens as their preferred venue.

Though authorities from the Cricket Association of Bengal refused to comment on the matter, they were confident about hosting a major event after a lengthy layoff. The Eden pitch and outfield, named finest in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the third year in a row this time jointly with Mumbai's Wankhede has provided additional impetus for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) groundstaff.

The pitch is being prepared afresh: Sujan Mukherjee

Advertisment

Work began on June 30, shortly after the CAB Junior U-18 Invitational competition concluded. "The pitch is being prepared afresh, just as it’s done at the end of every season. But this time, we obviously have to be extra careful and do an even better job,” the pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee told The Telegraph on Monday.

"Just as it has been of late, you’ll again see wickets having firm bounce and nice carry. The quicks will enjoy bowling here. And of course, it will aid strokeplay as well." "With the amount of rolling the pitch undergoes, it takes a toll on the soil at the end of the season. What fresh soil does is level the pitch while adding freshness."

Dust particles and dead grass material have been removed from the pitches, which are now ready for top-dressing. Fresh soil will also be added in modest amounts to aid with grass growth. The outfield coring procedure, which began on Sunday, was finished on Monday. The entire procedure is expected to be completed by the end of September.

Advertisment

Here's how fans reacted 

Ball swings in air bruh

— Uttkarsh Acharya (@UttakarshAchar1) July 8, 2023

Pitch should be made according to the Indian team not to other teams.

— 🇮🇳 Vipul (@BeliefinKarma) July 8, 2023

It's a trap so that opposition play 4 pacers and the wicket will be spin friendly ☻️

— Vaibhav Arora (@Savage_vaibhav) July 8, 2023

5-3 loading again

— Lazy Elegance🥹 (@Ekans123456) July 8, 2023

vadapav aldready shivering to face Rabada and Nortje 😂😂😂😂😂😂

— Haniel Peter (@peter_haniel) July 8, 2023

It’s subcontinent surface has to be spin friendly. Have you ever seen a spin track in SENA countries?

— Mr.Professor 🜃 (@iMrProfessor) July 8, 2023

Yeah there is a lot of bounce for fast bowlers and also batsman can get helped of that if they are capable to play fast bowling

— 🫧🤗ROCKINIT🤠 (@Rockinit72) July 8, 2023

That means it would be a batting paradise

— Husain 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@husain_tweets18) July 8, 2023