Wankhede curator Sudhir Naik speaks for the first time on how he went about completing the ground work

The climax contributes to the overall rating of a film. Similarly, the final match of a tournament could decide the success of the event. A lot is riding on Sudhir Naik, the curator of the newly-laid pitch at the Wankhede Stadium which will host the World Cup final on April 2.

A rare combination of a Test cricketer and a first-class in MSc (Organic Chemistry), Naik throws some light on the most-anticipated wicket of the mega event in his first interview since the ICC gave Wankhede the nod.

Excerpts:

How did you go about your task?u00a0

Sudhir Naik

We had to start from scratch because the entire ground was dug up due to renovation work. First of all, we had to dig at least three to four feet and remove the stones that were piled beneath the surface. It was very tough. We got it done in parts ufffd first 30 yards, then another 10 yards and so on.u00a0 Initially, we were confident of completing the work before time, but as we went along, we realised there were lots of constraints. We fought, abused each other, but in the end, we completed it.

What was the most challenging part?
We faced extreme difficulties in getting the raw material into the stadium with only one entry gate. At times, we had to wait for five to six hours to bring in the soil because of the long queue of trucks at the gate. Watering the ground was also difficult.
Pipes would break due to construction work.