Indian cricket Board, BCCI, invited mockery on social media when images of the ground staff of Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati using stuff like hair dryers, steam iron, and even vacuum cleaners to dry the damp pitch ahead of the India and Sri Lanka’s first T20 match.
T20 match was wrapped up without a single ball bowled after a brief spell of rain. Rainwater seeped into the pitch through the leaking covers at the stadium. Hard efforts of the ground staff to swiftly dry the pitch for the match went in vain.
BCCI invited snarky comments on social media from Indian cricket fans. The BCCI, the richest cricketing board, was shamed for disappointing preparations for an international match.
Moreover, even Indian fans were left embarrassed as netizen asserted that Sri Lankan players should have carried with themselves the rain covers of the R Premadasa Stadium.
We've seen hairdryers, steam irons and vacuum cleaners used on the pitch at Guwahati 🤐
What is the strangest item you have used on seen used to dry a cricket field? #INDvSL https://t.co/0hnH2zxKRP pic.twitter.com/NioH5p5JP3
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 5, 2020
The hair dryer and steam iron are being used now to dry the pitch. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Sri Lanka should have taken R Premadasa stadium rain covers & staff to India 🇱🇰🏏#SriLanka #India #BCCI #INDvSL #INDvsSL #SLvsIND pic.twitter.com/eBDbEYENtU
— Atchuthan Srirangan (@asrirangan) January 5, 2020
Even a hair dryer and steam iron couldn't dry the pitch in Guwahati for the 1st T20 between India and Sri Lanka #INDvSL #Cricket pic.twitter.com/TVSY17OJ7I
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Follow @Dish_Sport_Live— @Dish_Sport_Live (@Dish_Sport_Live) January 6, 2020
Former Indian cricketers VVS Laxman and Akash Chopra lashed out at BCCI for poor preparations.
“It’s nothing but a schoolboy error. The 22-yard is a sacrosanct place and they have left a few holes in the cover as some amount of water seeping in. It is some amount of negligence. You can’t have an excuse at this level,” Chopra said.
Laxman also called the blunder as ‘elementary mistake’.
Read more: Pakistani Twitteratis Silenced Indian Trolls on Floodlight Failure During Pak-Sri Match
The anticipations of Indian cricket match for maiden T20 match between India and Sri Lanka sunk when the ground was declared unfit for the game following the inspection from the umpires and skipper Virat Kohli. It is noteworthy to mention that India and Sri Lanka have not played a bilateral series in two years.
https://twitter.com/Rehan52484311/status/1214083066072879104?s=20
The hair dryer and steam iron are being used now to dry the pitch. Sri Lanka should have taken R Premadasa stadium rain covers to India 🇱🇰🏏 #INDvsSL pic.twitter.com/tQxR50axPL
— Azzam Ameen (@AzzamAmeen) January 5, 2020
India is setting example again today!!
Steam Iron and hair dryer are being used to dry the pitch on world television.@BCCI have not only put cricket on shame but also they have disappointed the nation.
It's Shameful.#INDvSL pic.twitter.com/XdEaVriHPa— Pankaj Singh (@pankajkumar764) January 5, 2020
APJ — By 2020 India will became a developed nation.
2020 — indian Cricket board using hair dryer and iron box to dry the wet pitch.🤭🤭🤦🤦🤦 pic.twitter.com/f45q75m7IW
— Vishnu (@vishnu_Avatar) January 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/komo_moron/status/1213887835280986112?s=20
While Pakistan cricket fans mocked the use of bizarre stuff to dry the damp pitch, they also recalled a similar incident in Pakistan during the third edition of Pakistan Super Leagues matches when Pakistan Army used its helicopters to dry the wet outfield, in one of the matches in Lahore at Qaddafi Stadium.
The Indian team manager’s report cited the lack of expertise of the ground staff in handling such situations.
A source told Indian media that problem occurred because chief curator Ashish Bhowmick was removed due to internal indifferences and the remaining staff was not trained enough to deal with challenges in high-profile matches.
What an idea ji
Digital India's new technology to dry the pitch the hair dryer and steam iron are being used in the first T20 match #INDvsSL #T20 #BBL09 #IPL @MichaelVaughan @ShaneWarne #ENGvSA #NZvAUS #NoToCAA_NRC_NPR @ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/tETRWIIiLf— Mohamed Hatheek (@hatheek4u) January 6, 2020
Using a hair dryer to dry the pitch after water seeped in through leaking covers at the #BarsaparaStadium between #India, #SriLanka that had to be called off hasn't gone down well with #BCCI which now awaits chief curator #AshishBhowmick's report on the same.
Photo: IANS pic.twitter.com/Irrwo1BO5d
— IANS (@ians_india) January 6, 2020