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Jaipur wicket has tinge of green
The curators said that if the think tank or captain instructed them, they could mould it into a batting wicket for third ODI against Sri Lanka.
The Sawai Man Singh Stadium at the Pink City is preparing a wicket with a tinge of green for the third match of the India-Sri Lanka one-day cricket series.
The curators, former Ranji player Taposh Chatterjee and coach Abdul Saeed, have so far received no instructions from the Indian team's think tank or the Cricket Board regarding the nature of the wicket.
"We are preparing the wicket on our own," they said.
"We have kept our options open. In the previous match here against the South Africans, the pitch offered low bounce and was a bit slow too. But this time it is hard and has grass on it," the curators said.
"If the think tank or captain instructs us we can mould it into a batting wicket by mopping off the grass and rolling it more but if they want to negate the Murli factor we can leave more grass on it," said Saeed.
Meanwhile, the stadium has received a facelift with the players' dressing rooms fitted with air-conditioners and the South Pavilion getting a five-star look.
President of Rajasthan Cricket Association Lalit Modi is banking on the corporate sector with ticket pricing soaring to new heights, ranging between Rs 200 to boxes worth costing between Rs two lakh and more than Rs seven lakh. The higher priced ticket holders were promised lunch from a five-star hotel and beer too.
But the plan for serving the alcoholic beverage was put back in the shelf due to public uproar and protests by organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
