After Ranji horror, Barsapara curator promises a run feast
GUWAHATI: With a day left for the Aca-barsapara Stadium in Guwahati to host its first- international match, officials were beaming with expectation as last minute touches were being given. However, some of the media queries on facilities were met with confused answers.
Australia stand-in skipper David Warner though sounded satisfied. “The facilities look fantastic. It is the first match in this cricket stadium. Hopefully, we can make it special for ourselves,” he said.
What Warner probably doesn’t know is that the Barsapara stadium last year saw Himachal Pradesh bowled out for 36 against Hyderabad in a Ranji Trophy match. It was the fourth lowest Ranji total since 2000.
Much has changed after that. Mukut Kalita, chief curator at Barsapara, says the batting low was due to poor application. For the second T20I between India and Australia, Kalita said the pitch might see a big score. “We are expecting a good score. This is the first match here and we want to make it memorable. Spinners will also get assistance,” he said.
It rained in Guwahati on Monday, hampering the Indian team’s practice session. Kalita insisted the drainage facility was state-ofthe-art and there will be no problem during the match.
“The sand content in the soil is high. Also, the drainage is very good. We don’t need to cover the full ground in case of rain,” he said.