Standing on the main square, Manoj Chaudhary was taking notes in his little black diary. Called on a temporary basis and designated assistant curator, he was writing down when the pitch was rolled and how much water was sprinkled — to maintain a record for curator Vijay Bahadur, who was taking a breather.

Under pressure to deliver a playable pitch in the third one-day international against Australia on October 31, the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) has switched to damage-control mode after the Champions League, where the Ferozeshah Kotla track was slammed for its low and variable bounce. The DDCA is looking to temporarily package the top soil — the wicket is being kept on a diet of slight water and heavy rolling four times a day, as the groundsmen are trying to bake the one-and-half-inch top layer into a rock-hard surface to ensure it holds for 100 overs. The India-Australia game will be played on the pitch adjacent to the central wicket (the same track on which all the Champions League games were played).

But the curators are setting only reasonable targets, admitting that the third ODI will be a low-scoring affair. Efforts are on to prepare a plain wicket that will provide no assistance to the bowlers, even though batsmen will have to be patient before playing their shots. “This looks like a 240 kind of a wicket, but we’re hoping it won’t deteriorate and the team chasing will also have a chance,” Bahadur told The Indian Express.

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