Indian Pitch Quality Has Improved Significantly, Says Chief Curator

Over 350 totals have been reported frequently during the current World Cup. The chief curator of the Indian cricket council, Andy Atkinson, believes that overall the quality of Indian pitches has improved since the past.

Atkinson is in town to supervise Eden Gardens' pitch preparation for Sunday's highly anticipated match between South Africa and India.

"Well, that's a big difference. At the press conference held on Friday at the ITC Sonar, Atkinson stated, "They [the pitches in India] are much better than they were before."

Groundsmen busy pulling the covers at Eden Gardens on Friday.

There used to be a few good ones, but it was difficult because we had to essentially prepare a pitch at each ground after the IPL, which ends around the end of May. However, since there are now lovely grounds with fully grassed-over wickets, you could probably prepare a respectable pitch.

Additionally, practically every pitch we have faced in this World Cup has been favorable. The bat and ball have been in perfect balance. Actually, back in August when I traveled to India, I had mentioned this balance at the curators' seminar in Mumbai," he remarked.

Atkinson called the Eden wicket "excellent" and showered it with praise.

It was flat and slow once, but now it's much more athletic. been simple for me because of the diligent work of the ground crew members who were ready for any eventuality. You can feel the effort put in.

Following the team's arrival on Friday night, the India coaching staff—head coach Rahul Dravid, Vikram Rathour (batting), Paras Mhambrey (bowling), and T. Dilip (fielding)—visited the Eden. They examined the wicket and appeared to be "pleased."

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