Ferozeshah Kotla gets a new curator

NEW DELHI: The IPL and the World Cup matches were a litmus test for the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch after a India-Sri Lanka ODI was abandoned due to unplayable conditions in 2009.
The pitch, as it turned out, is still posing a lot of problems for to the Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA) as well as the players.
As the Kotla gets ready for hosting an ODI (against England in October) and a Test (against West Indies in November), the DDCA is making yet another concerted effort to reclaim the old Kotla glory by roping in Saurashtra's chief curator Rasik Makwana for overseeing the work on the pitch.Former BCCI secretary and Saurashtra Cricket Association chief Niranjan Shah is reported to have advised DDCA on the matter.
"The decision to bring Rasik here was taken 4-5 days back. He has done good work on the Rajkot pitch and we thought his advice would be important for us. He is coming on Tuesday night. A meeting is scheduled with him and we have asked Gurcharan Singh and NK Bakshi to join in," DDCA secretary Sneh Bansal told TOI on Tuesday. Gurcharan is a Dronacharya awardee and Bakshi is a DDCA member with past knowledge of the pitch.
Chief curator, Venkat Sundaram, who also heads BCCI's pitches and grounds committee, feigned ignorance when asked about the development. "Talk to DDCA," was his curt response. When asked if Makwana would assist him, he said, "Possibly."