It is a matter of pride for Asish Bhowmik to oversee the development of the cricket pitch at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
Bhowmik, who hails from Tripura is the chief pitch curator of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BBCI) and is in charge of developing the pitch of the world’s largest cricket stadium, also known as the Motera Stadium.
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The Sardar Patel Stadium having a capacity to accommodate 1,10,000 spectators, has been reconstructed after demolishing the old structure that was built in 1982.
Bhowmik has been engaged in developing the pitch at the stadium for the past four months.
“The outfield has been created with the help of whole sand. In case of rains the field will dry up soon and be suitable for playing within half an hour,” said Bhowmik who has been in charge of developing the pitch since 2019.
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“The specialty of the stadium is that there are no pillars and it has been built on top of the cantilever,” said Bhowmik.
“As such no pillar will obstruct the view of spectators while watching a game,” he said.
The diameter of the stadium is 75 yards to the north-south and 85 yards to the east-west.
LN&T or Larsen & Turbo constructed the stadium in about two and a half years.
Bhowmik worked as the pitch curator for the Tripura Cricket Association and also the BCCI eastern zone.
He also played first-class cricket for Tripura and was a fast bowler in state club cricket.
Bhowmik began working as a pitch curator in 1997.
He can be credited with making a pitch curator manual for BCCI, which the latter has been following for newcomers in this field.