Bhaad mein gaya pitch not a fair war cry for KKR

“Bhaad mein gaya pitch,” Ravi Shastri had boomed years ago after India’s clinical annihilation of South Africa in a Test series at home in 2019.

That line from Shastri, one of the most colourful commentators of the game, roughly translates to: the pitch can go to hell. The then India coach was pretty clear in what he wanted his bowlers to do – take 20 wickets, whether you are in Johannesburg, Mumbai or Delhi.

To be fair, under Shastri and Virat Kohli, India took 20 wickets across the world more often than not. Then won Test matches in Sri Lanka, England, and Australia, while teams visiting India, outgunned by R Ashwin and R Jadeja continued to crib.

But not everyone feels the same way about pitches. Australia dished out some of the spiciest surfaces for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and even their own batters felt the heat from a rampaging Jasprit Bumrah. Sri Lankan pitches? The less said, the better.

Pakistan? They neither trust their batters nor their bowlers; so, flat pitches have become the norm.

It’s really that simple.

Not every coaching staff has a Ravi Shastri.

For KKR, it’s different

Pitch bhaad mein gaya? Not for Ajinkya Rahane, not for Kolkata Knight Riders.

The Indian Premier League lasts for two and a half months but teams and their strategists spend the whole year strategizing. And then those mega-auctions, when they happen, are not easy to deal with.

Imagine acing all that. Imagine getting your talent scouts to the right places at the right time and getting the squad you wanted at the auction, retaining the core of a champion team, only to be told by a pitch curator you cannot get the pitch you want.

Take a walk, the pitch is staying. That’s more or less the crux of the message from the Eden Gardens pitch curator. That obviously wasn’t literally wasn’t what Sujan Mukherjee, a well-respected figure at Eden, said.

Chandrakant Pandit with Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee.

: Revsportz pic.twitter.com/WmhoPfTAo5

— KnightRidersXtra (@KKR_Xtra) March 12, 2025

Rahane, who took over as KKR captain this year, voiced his concern over the Kolkata pitch and wanted it to turn somewhat like the one in Guwahati.

Mukherjee wasn’t having any of it: “As per the IPL rules and regulations, franchises have no say over the pitch,” he told RevSportz. The seasoned curator further said pitches at Eden Gardens have always been like this and they will not change in the future.

Mukherjee promptly backtracked after fan backlash.

KKR vs Curator again

As if that wasn’t enough, Mukherjee even took a dig at the KKR spinners.

We still don’t know what the team think about this. But there was an uproar from Simon Doull, who felt KKR should consider moving their home ground elsewhere.

Aakash Chopra, in a tweet, after KKR’s win over Rajasthan Royals, in a tweet, had this to say: “Guwahati is not just closer to Kolkata than it is to Rajasthan…but also, the track is closest to the one that KKR is asking for at the Eden Gardens.”

This is a bit of a quagmire now.

The KKR captain is not going to get the pitch he wants in his own den. The curator is kinda right, but times have changed. International teams leave no stone unturned to exploit home conditions. Some countries insist they don’t exploit their own pitches but come on now!

Harsha Bhogle: No-one is asking the curator to dig up the pitch and make 120 pitches.
Simon Doull: He(Curator )is not paid to give his opinion on the game.
Watch how big cricket experts are reacting on the illogical statements of Sujan Mukherjee pic.twitter.com/xRaJx4H5bu

— KKR Vibe (@KnightsVibe) March 26, 2025

Some advantage, please!

The IPL is a different beast. Franchise owners spend a LOT of money, they work year-round and there is so much at stake. There is a reason why teams play matches at home and away. There is a reason why Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have won 5 IPL titles each – their team management and pitch curators are in perfect cohesion, and their captains have more often than not gotten the pitches they deserve.

Eden Gardens pitch curators have not been easy to convince. Back in 2012, Prabir Mukherjee did not take kindly to MS Dhoni’s request for a rank turner for a Test vs England. So Sujan’s reaction to Rahane isn’t really surprising. However, Rahane and KKR have every right to ask for conditions that could assist their game plan.

It’s a Catch-22 situation and maybe the curator will relent. KKR have won 3 titles and IPL teams who win championships have to win on all sorts of pitches.

But KKR have stacked their side with quality spinners and their pace attack does look a little fragile. Harshit Rana is their most experienced Indian pacer, while Umran Malik was withdrawn following an injury. Given their reliance on Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and now Quinton de Kock, KKR can only play one of Spencer Johnson or Anrich Nortje.

It’s a tricky one.

But maybe, Ajinkya will ask Sujan nicely again—some advantage, just some sharp turn, please.