Cricket fans made fun on social media after snapshots and videos of ground staff using hair dryers, steam irons and vacuum cleaners to dry the pitch at Guwahati’s Barsapara Stadium went viral.
The first match of the India-Sri Lanka T20 International series in the city was called off due to incessant rains which resulted in a damp pitch.
However, rain water even seeped into the main pitch through the leaking covers that were spread out in the stadium.
Also read: Guwahati: India-Sri Lanka T20I abandoned for damp pitch
Although the ground staff tried their best means to dry the pitch and the umpires held several inspections, the match was declared ‘abandoned’ at around 10 pm.
However, netizens later started trolling the ground staff with funny captions for resorting to hair dryers and steam irons to dry the pitch.
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra lashed out at Assam Cricket Association (ACA) for their negligence in maintenance of the cricket pitch at Barsapara Stadium.
“It’s nothing but a school boy error. The 22-yard is a sacrosanct place and they have left a few holes in the cover as some amount of water seeped in. It is some amount of negligence. You can’t have an excuse at this level,” Chopra said.
Moreover, former cricketer VVS Laxman also called the negligence of the cricket pitch as an ‘elementary mistake’.
The second and third matches of the T20 International series between India and Sri Lanka will be held in Holkar Cricket Stadium at Indore on January 7 and Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on January 10.