Pandurang Salgaonkar, the curator at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Ground in Pune, has received a suspension from BCCI. He violated some laws of ICC and BCCI, which clearly states that no one other than captain and coach is allowed to look at the pitch ahead of an international game.

India is playing against New Zealand in the 2nd ODI of the 3-match series in Pune. The visitors have won the first match in Mumbai by 6 wickets and currently have a lead of 1-0 going into the Pune match.

Former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin has shared his resentment and called for a ban on the pitch curator for revealing details and violating the laws. He said, “Very sad that this has happened. Nobody should be allowed to go to the pitch (before a match).”

He further elaborated, “It will have a very big impact on the match. I don’t know what sort of wicket we will get. The curator should be immediately banned and there should be an enquiry. I do not have first-hand reaction yet but there should be an enquiry. Hopefully, the MCA, BCCI and ACSU will work in tandem.”

Talking about the actions against the curator, BCCI acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary said, “Pandurang Salgaonkar has been suspended from the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s curator’s post with immediate effect. The MCA has also suspended Salgaonkar from all other positions in the association. An inquiry Commission will also be constituted by MCA. At BCCI, we reiterate that we have zero tolerance towards any corrupt activity.”