‘Home advantage necessary’: Arun Lal amid Eden Gardens pitch controversy | Cricket News
New Delhi: A wave of controversy broke out during IPL 2023 when the usually soft-spoken Nitish Rana bitterly stated that Kolkata Knight Riders were the only team without home advantage.
Rana, the then-KKR captain, was left disappointed as his team were unable to take advantage of home fixtures, due to Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee’s unwillingness to prepare pitches that suited KKR‘s interests.
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Mukherjee responded by stating that he isn’t bound to prepare wickets according to the wishes of the home team.
Controversy over the pitch at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens has blown up yet again, following KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane’s recent statement where he expressed a desire to play on spin-friendly wickets. Mukherjee has maintained his stance over franchises having no say.
The scenario has turned quite intense, with former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull going to the extent of saying that KKR should simply shift base elsewhere.
Former India cricketer Arun Lal, who earlier served as the head coach of the Bengal cricket team, stated that home advantage is necessary in cricket in order to maintain excitement and competitiveness.
“Does the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) prepare bouncy and seaming wickets when England tour India? No, it doesn’t. Wickets that favour spinners get priority. Similarly, even the England Cricket Board (ECB) look to prioritise their team’s interests during India’s overseas tours to England. Teams should definitely get home advantage in cricket to maintain excitement and competitiveness,” said Arun in an exclusive interaction with TimesofIndia.com.
Former KKR cricketer Manvinder Bisla stated that such issues with regard to the pitch at Eden Gardens occured during his stint with the franchise.
“The pitch curator should not be rigid. Otherwise, it will be very tough for franchises to plan for the auction, as additions are made with a certain thought process. If a team is unable to take proper advantage of quality spinners like Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine due to pitch conditions on home turf, then it is definitely a point of concern,” he said.
“The first objective of any team is to win and reach the playoffs. Everyone in Kolkata wants KKR to win. There should be a discussion between the curator and the franchise over how the team can be benefitted,” added Bisla.
Former Indian cricketer and commentator Deep Dasgupta, however, believes that there should be no controversy over the wicket at Eden Gardens, as KKR enjoyed success on the same wicket in the previous edition.
“Has the nature of the wicket changed? No, it hasn’t. It is the same wicket where KKR won last season and eventually went on to lift the trophy. Look at the way in which CSK have created a team based on the conditions in Chennai,” he stated.
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