No BCCI official spoke to curator Chatterjee before England Test in Chennai: Board official

PTI, Mar 8, 2022, 8:30 AM IST

Chennai: A senior BCCI official on Monday rubbished insinuations that curator in charge of the track for the first Test against England in Chennai last year ”deliberately” worked against Indian team’s interests.

Reports have emerged that curator Taposh Chatterjee, who was in charge of the track for the first Test of the series, was asked by the erstwhile team management (read coaching staff) to stop watering and rolling the pitch.

It is understood that Chatterjee was asked not to water and roll the pitch so that Chennai heat will enable it to crack up and the ball would start turning square from the first day.

Chatterjee allegedly didn’t pay heed to the suggestions and it turned out to be a flat deck where Joe Root murdered Indian bowling and England won the Test comprehensively. Chatterjee actually didn’t work on the track for second Test where India restored parity.

However, the BCCI is no mood to carry any investigation and a senior official termed the allegations as ”nonsense”.

As per BCCI sources, there are no plans to investigate a match India lost fair and square before winning the next three.

”If anyone from the erstwhile team management were trying to force the curator to doctor the strip set to be used for a World Test Championship game, then they are the ones that should be probed,” a senior official in the know of things said.