A curator should be a quick learner: Mukut Kalita

Our Sports Reporter

GUWAHATI: The neutral curator (elite group) of BCCI Mukut Kalita feels a curator needs good communication skills and should be a quick learner. In a conversation with The Sentinel the former cricketer also admits that the wickets at the ACA stadium, Baspara are one of the best in the country. Here is the excerpt.

The Sentinel (TS): How did you take up such an offbeat occupation?

Mukut: Former cricketer Souvik Das and I had planned to start a cricket academy at Lalganesh area during 2012. So we had started to approach different curators of the State to prepare wickets for our proposed academy. But honestly speaking we faced a lot of problems as we did not able to understand their suggestions properly because of lack of knowledge. During that time BCCI started a special course for the curators and then ACA secretary Bikash Baruah asked me whether I was interested to join the course. I didn’t spend too much time to give my consent.

TS: What skills are necessary for this job?

Mukut: Look, in any profession one’s progress depends on how quick he or she learns. It is applicable here also. It’s a very serious job and need to take care even very small to smaller things. Good communication skill is absolutely essential which helps to collect necessary information very quickly from the ground staffs. Apart from that knowledge on soil is very essential. You also need good observation power and capacity to take decision individually and instantly.

TS: One word very commonly used in cricket and it is “Sporting wicket”. What is the definition of Sporting Wicket?

Mukut: Sporting wicket term is used to those wickets which are used for longer version of the game. A wicket would be termed sporting if it assists pacers, batsmen and spinners equally during the different times of a four or five-day game.

TS: How would you rate the wickets at the ACA stadium, Barsapara?

Mukut: Wickets at the ACA stadium, Barsapara are already rated as one of the best pitches in the country. Pacers love to bowl here and the wickets are capable to produce runs too.

TS: What about the wickets of other top venues in the country.

Mukut: Look, quality of the wicket mostly depends on the soil which is used to prepare the pitch. In Australia smectite clay are used to prepare wickets. This soil is capable to produce hardness and good bounce and is considered as one of the best one for cricket pitch. Eden Garden is one of a few grounds in India where smectite clay are used. The other types of soils which are generally used for wickets in our country are Illite clay and Kaolinite. I don’t want to go in details the behavior and the characters of those soils but one thing I can say that smectite clay takes less time to recover after it is used.

TS: It is considered that prepares and maintains a wicket in the North East is very challenging because of heavy rain fall. Your comment.

Mukut: I agree. The area witnessed more rain falls in comparison to the other part of the country. There have a few other factors too. Domestic crickets are gradually increasing in this part and I feel different state associations should focus to increase the number of wickets in their grounds. It will help the curators to get sufficient time to bring the wicket in proper shape once it is used.

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