In a heartfelt gesture, India’s new head coach Rahul Dravid gave Green Park’s groundstaff, led by Shiv Kumar, Rs 35,000 for producing a sporting pitch for the opening Test against New Zealand.
Kiwi tailenders Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra displayed remarkable resilience under fading light on a deteriorating track to deny India a famous victory on Day 5 in Kanpur.
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“We would like to make an official announcement. Mr Rahul Dravid has paid Rs 35,000 personally to our groundsmen,” the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) announced in the press box after the game.
The tip was a token of appreciation from Dravid as the groundsmen didn’t serve an under-prepared pitch, where the ball would turn from the first day and the match ending inside three days.
It was an appropriate deck for a Test match, where batters who have applied themselves scored big runs and fast bowlers, spinners left their mark as well.
The likes of Shreyas Iyer (105 and 65), Shubman Gill (52 and 1), Tom Latham (95 and 52), and Will Young (89 and 2) did well with the willow while pacers Tim Southee (8 scalps) and Kyle Jamieson (6 scalps) took 14 wickets between and the home team tweakers picked 17 wickets.
The second and final Test match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from December 3.
(With PTI inputs)
