Encounter with cricket pitch curator Kasturirangan who refuted the saying 'wickets are unpredictable like women'

By K.R. Nayar

Curator G. Kasturirangan, who passed away on August 19, created wickets with immense passion for the game. An encounter with him in the early eighties was an eye-opener on the art of making wickets. His sincerity was such that he even refused the offer to play for India on moral grounds. Read on…

G. Kasturirangan 

Over the years of my interacting with people associated with cricket, there have been many who are genuinely passionate about the game. There are also a few who devote themselves to the betterment of the game without any financial expectations. G. Kasturirangan, one of India’s finest pitch curators, was one such character. He passed away on Wednesday, August 19, at the age of 89.

Before taking up journalism, as a youngster, I was always thrilled to involve myself in spreading cricket in Kerala. Those were the days when most youngsters in the state preferred football, volleyball, basketball, and athletics, and cricket was not yet popular. ACM Abdullah, the then president of the Kerala Cricket Association and S.K. Nair, who later went on to become Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), backed my passion by giving me many responsibilities and got me involved in various committees.

The University Stadium in Trivandrum 

The University Stadium in Trivandrum, which was essentially a football ground, was chosen to stage some high profile cricket matches such as the Duleep Trophy match between North Zone and South Zone, the Under-22 West Indies versus India match, and a One Day International between India and Australia. Kasturirangan was entrusted with the responsibility of curating the turf pitch. 

Jose Kurishinkal, who went on to become Kerala’s first international umpire, and I were to provide all facilities to Kasturirangan. I had heard a lot about Kasturirangan’s pitch curating skills, and hence we were both excited to meet him. From digging up the ground to creating a turf wicket, he explained to us everything in detail. Kurushinkal, who is an engineer by profession, took notes of all the measurements and materials that would go into the making of the pitch. Undeterred by the hot sun, Kasturirangan stood in the centre of the pitch, not only instructing the groundsman but also educating us. We were surprised to learn that so much detail goes into the making of a pitch, and he patiently explained everything to us. We were a little taken aback when he asked for cow dung to be put on the pitch, something that we managed to get after a lot of search. 

G. Kasturirangan could create any type of wicket 

It was during those conversations with Kasturingan that I got to know that he was not merely a curator but an outstanding cricketer too. He revealed that he was a fast bowler who played first-class cricket years before we'd met. He said he had played for Mysore between 1948 and 1963. He was even selected into the Vijay Hazare-led Indian team that toured West Indies in 1952-53, but he had declined the invitation on moral grounds stating that there was a domination of players from the North in the team.  He joined the South Zone players Ghulam Ahmed, CD Gopinath, and LT Adishesh in pulling out from the team.  He also regaled us with his tales of how he once destroyed Hyderabad in a Ranji Trophy match taking six wickets. Those were the days when a cricketer's exploits were not well known to all like today when everything is made available through the internet. Years later, I read in one of the websites that he had bagged 94 wickets in first-class cricket from 36 first-class matches while playing for Mysore. After his playing days, be opted to become a horticulturist and earned a name as a fine curator.

After a few years, I carried forward the knowledge he had passed on to me and re-laid the pitch at the Police ground in Tellicherry before a Ranji Trophy match between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The few days that Kurushinkal and I spent with him were a journey into a then-unknown area in cricket - pitch-creation. We learned from him that any kind of pitch can be made, fast, slow, a batsman’s wicket, or a bowler’s one just with a few changes to the ingredients that go into the pitch. He refuted the popular saying that 'wickets are unpredictable like women' by creating some of the most sporting pitches.

Had Kurushinkal and I not met Kasturirangan, we would never have known about all the effort that goes into the making of a pitch and the role of a curator in creating enjoyment for the game. So after I became a journalist, I always made sure to always talk to curators and highlight their efforts.  That is how I talked to Tony Hemming, the former head curator of ICC Global Cricket Academy and his role in setting up top-class wickets in Dubai, Toby Lumsden, the present Head Curator of the ICC Academy and Dubai International Stadium, and Mohammad Jameel, the head curator of Sharjah Cricket Stadium. When I visited the historic Oval ground in England, I was so impressed with the respect they gave to their groundsmen. The names of all groundsmen from 1845 have been displayed prominently there. 

The names of all groundsmen at the Oval ground from 1845 

Exploits by cricketers always get mentioned in record books, but the groundsmen who set the stage for the players to perform too deserve a mention and should be honoured. They are the unsung heroes of every match. They are people with dirt and dust on their hands but with devotion to cricket in their soul.  Praying for Kasturirangan's cricket-loving soul to rest in peace.