Sunil Gavaskar gives full marks to Mumbai ground staff while other stadiums' curators face heat: 'They could possibly…'
Sunil pointed out the efforts of the ground staff, who didn't go inside but were present near the field to make sure the covers were removed immediately.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar was all praise for the Wankhede Stadium ground staff for their dedication towards their work when the rain halted the Mumbai Indians vs Gujarat Titans clash a couple of times on Tuesday. The high-octane match was halted twice due to rain, but the groundsmen made sure the play resumed on both occasions. Meanwhile, Shubman Gill and Co. overcame two interruptions and a fighting MI to register a dramatic three-wicket win under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method to go on top of the points table.
Gavaskar, who was commentating in the match, pointed out the efforts of the ground staff, who didn't go inside but were present near the field to make sure the covers were removed immediately.
"The impressive thing is that the Mumbai Indians' ground staff is on the ground. They could possibly be sheltering somewhere inside, take their time coming out but they are not doing that," Gavaskar said on air commentary during MI vs GT rain break.
The ground staff of several stadiums have come under the scanner this season after the players and coaches complained to them about pitches not suiting the home teams.
The batting great was highly impressed with the MI ground staff, while other stadiums' staff faced scrutiny this season.
"Once again full marks to the Mumbai ground staff, we keep hearing about pitches not being made to suit home teams etc but look at the ground staff. They are stuck there in the rain without umbrellas. They can very well go in having put the covers on but they are there to make sure the covers are removed immediately after the rain stops," he added.
In a rain-affected match interrupted twice, Gujarat chased down a revised target of 147, clinching victory off the final ball with seven wickets down, as Deepak Chahar failed to defend 15 runs in the last over.
Earlier, Mumbai stumbled in the middle overs, losing five wickets for just 27 runs, and ended with 155 for 8. Will Jacks top-scored with 53 — his first half-century of the season.
With this win, Gujarat moved to the top of the table with 16 points, edging out Royal Challengers Bangalore on net run-rate. Mumbai sits at fourth with 14 points, intensifying the race for the four playoff spots.
