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Odisha complain against 'underprepared' pitch

After succumbing to 37 all out, Odisha have lodged a complaint against the pitch at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani

Nagraj Gollapudi
24-Nov-2015
After succumbing to 37 all out, their second-lowest total in the Ranji Trophy, Odisha have lodged a complaint against the pitch at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani. The maiden first-class fixture at the stadium saw 40 wickets fall in two days with the hosts winning by 133 runs.
Odisha Cricket Association secretary Ashirwad Behera said the surface was "underprepared" and that the team manager Subodh Chatterjee has already contacted match referee Shakti Singh about their grievances.
"You can't play a first-class match on such a wicket," Behera told ESPNcricinfo. "Our team manager has already submitted a written complaint to the match referee when Bengal were batting as some of their players were injured (due to the uneven nature of the pitch)."
A furious Behera added that the OCA would also write to the BCCI to ensure the issue was dealt with promptly. "We are also going to write to the BCCI grounds and pitch committee head Daljit Singh. It is the first time a match has happened at Kalyani and to have such an underprepared pitch, I felt very bad."
Although Odisha managed to push past their 35 all out against Bihar in 1958-59 season, at one point they were facing the worst team score made in Ranji Trophy history - 21. Set a target of 171 in the final innings, Odisha were 21 for 7. A 15-run partnership between Jayanta Behera and Dhiraj Singh for the last wicket helped push them past that ignominy, and was their highest partnership in the match.

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo