The Chepauk, which is presently hosting the fourth Test between England and India could not have done that if a certain Vasthirautham S, the curator of the MAC Stadium had not brought in a one-ton cover to shield the ground from the cyclone which ravaged the city three days back.
It was a herculean effort thereafter for Vasthirautham and 24 of his men who raced against the clock to make the ground fit for cricket.
“After the cyclone, we wanted to show the world we can still host a Test match. We wanted to give the people of Madras Test cricket. They had not witnessed one in three years. It was our duty to make it possible,” Vasthirautham was quoted by the Indian Express.
A week before the game, the curator had a feeling that the storm and heavy rain might ruin the tie and therefore he spoke to PR Viswanathan, the BCCI’s South Zone curator, and then went to TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan asking for new covers.
“The cover BCCI gave was getting old and I had a feeling we needed other options. I don’t know where the thought came from. But when I asked TNCA, they immediately agreed.”
The cover was worth 2.17 lakhs but little did the ground staff know they would need it within a space of few days.
“The BCCI cover, which can cover the entire square (10 pitches), weighs around 300 kg. I felt we needed a heavier one because there was a cyclone threat. I chose the best tarpaulin in the market. It weighs a ton. If not for that cover, this match would have been called off,” he said.
The TNCA decided to give the day off to its staff on Monday as a cyclone warning was issued but by then Vasthirautham had already covered the whole ground with covers. They used the heavier cover over the BCCI one to protect the pitch. They also put around 20 heavy iron pipes and 50 nails so that they would be blown away.
“In my 32 years of experience, I’ve witnessed cyclones and rains. I know how to handle them. But Monday was different. The winds were so heavy that when I reached the ground, the covers were threatening to go off anytime. But luckily, they got tangled and locked in such a position that the wind couldn’t lift them off. Every now and then, I would go down, untangle them. This went on for almost four hours,” the 50-year-old revealed.
On Tuesday Vasthirautham and his men got a huge surprise as they removed the covers to find the pitch intact.
“Because of the heavy covers nothing happened to the track. The grass had grown to 8mm and we had to mow it down to 6mm. Because it was covered, the moisture remained and we had to use coal to dry it. I’ve made pitches that have won praise. Nothing beats this.”
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