In a shocking sting operation, it has been revealed that an international cricket pitch can be customised in order to sway match results. The India Today operation throws light on how the MCA Stadium in Pune, where the 2nd One Day International will be played, has been sold to bookies. In the video, the pitch curator, Pandurang Salgaonkar has been caught red-handed giving unsupervised access to the reporters posing as bookies.
According to the BCCI rulebook, no outsider is allowed to enter the pitch 48 hours before the match. A BCCI operator is specially assigned to monitor all movements on the pitch. In the video, Salgaonkar also says that anything can be done with the pitch if required. The reporter posing as a bookie was also allowed to enter the pitch and have unhindered access.
BCCI joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary, following the massive scandal, said,
The BCCI has zero tolerance on such issues. I am not yet aware of the full thing. I will attend to it immediately and take strictest action. The guilty will not be spared.
#OperationCricketGate
.@IndiaToday sting unearths customised one-day pitches….curator caught selling off pitch to bookies. #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/gIJwses9f2— India Today (@IndiaToday) October 25, 2017
When Vinod Rai took over as the Chairman of the BCCI, he pledged to cleanse the system. If this is rampant in the international stage, it is scary to think about what happens at the junior levels.
India has already lost the 1st ODI at Wankhede and it is a do-or-die battle for them. It is expected that there will be one change in the Indian squad, Chahal could make way for Axar, but that is still a speculation.
