The senior most curator at Azad Maidan-Munshilal Jaiswal, Times of India and Bohra CC
In 1974, when India was yet to win a world cup, when Sachin Tendulkar had not hold a cricket bat in his hand, When Mumbai’s cricket was at its prime, there was a man who was looking to accommodate himself in his new job, a job of a curator. Today after 40 years he has become a well-known face in Mumbai’s maidans. Munshilal Jaiswal who is currently looking after the pitches of two clubs- Times of India and Bohra CC says that you won’t find a man who is working for this long at this ground. Needless to say that this has to be true. Mr. Jaiswal shared his journey of a curatorship which began long ago.
“I have been preparing pitches for last 40 years. I have had various kinds of experiences over the period of time. I met so many people, saw lots of players starting as a novice cricketers and then conquering the world. I am glad that most of them played on pitches made by me and appreciated the wicket. So many different kind of wickets I have prepared till now. I can provide any kind of wicket to the players. It all depends on what kind of wicket they want to play on, “said the maestro.
Mr. Jaiswal talked about the pitches of Times of India and Boraa CC as well. “In monsoon that is for Kanga league there is good amount of grass on both these pitches. After rains both wickets become pata wickets. This has been the general trend over the years. These wickets are batsman’s paradise as batsman often pile up heaps of runs here. Though these are pata wickets there is no general trend of opting to bat first after winning the toss here. I think it completely depends on how the captain thinks and what team combinations they have. In these days on good batting pitches also teams prefer chasing. We have seen this at international level as well,” saidMr. Jaiswal.
They are putting good amount of efforts on outfield as well. “I think most of the times outfield gets neglected by the curators and they focus on main square. That is not a correct thing according to me. An outfield is as important as the main square. We do leveling at the grounds of our club by putting good amount of soil. Almostevery day I do inspection to check whether there is any damage to any part of outfield and whether it needs to be levelled again,” said Mr. Jaiswal.
“The preparation process every year begins in May. We start by putting new soil in outfield and then dig the main square. The wicket takes its shape in September for Kanaga league matches. These wickets lose their robustness till March when two third of season is almost completed. We have to do repairing work then. We also have special mentors who guide us on how wicket should be prepared.”
Mr. Jaiswal himself used to play cricket from Bora CC. Unlike others he doesn’t think that there is any help a curator gets just because he has played cricket earlier. “I have heard lots of people saying that they do well as a curator just because they have played cricket earlier. Yes we do get a basic knowledge but preparing a pitch is way too different than playing cricket. This job is very crucial as 22 yards can decide a fate of a cricketer. We have to be always on our toes. If any ball misbehaves during a match then we take it very seriously and take the precautions to prevent it from happening again. If there is bad bounce or anything like that then it can cause a serious injury to a player,” explained Mr. Jaiswal.
He told about his memorable experience when he saw one world record being made at Azad maidan. “I have seen that partnership of Tendulkar and Kambli. Both of them along with many others have played on the pitches made by me. But that partnership took place on one of the wicket which was adjacent to my club’s wicket. These are the times when you think why it hasn’t happened on a pitch made by me,” saysMr. Jaiswal. With his enthusiasm for cricket and passion to provide a quality pitch to cricketers, it is sure that soon he will be celebrating his golden jubilee year as a curator.