Curator banned after ODI pitch tampering claim

India's cricket board Wednesday banned an official from the Pune ground after he was recorded saying he tampered with the pitch ahead of the second one-day international against New Zealand. Pandurang Salgaoncar, the pitch manager at the Pune ground, was exposed during an undercover sting by India Today TV claiming he doctored the surface ahead of the ODI starting Wednesday. "Yes, he has been suspended and banned from entering the stadium," CK Khanna, acting president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told AFP. "A neutral curator from Mumbai has taken charge (for the New Zealand ODI). He has inspected the pitch and found it to be perfectly fine. The match is on."

Pune Stadium curator banned after ODI pitch tampering issuehttps://t.co/IjrcRhmegx@BCCI @imVkohli pic.twitter.com/ZG4hLDfToy

— The Nation (@The_Nation) October 25, 2017

In a video recorded by Indian reporters posing as bookmakers, Salgaoncar describes tampering with the pitch. He also showed the men around the Pune surface the day before the ODI, breaching rules by the International Cricket Council governing access to the pitch.

#OperationCricketGate.@IndiaToday sting unearths customised one-day pitches....curator caught selling off pitch to bookies. #ITVideo pic.twitter.com/gIJwses9f2

— India Today (@IndiaToday) October 25, 2017

Salgaoncar, 68, was a fast bowler from Maharashtra in the 1970s before taking up the role of curator with the state  association. "He has certainly let us down. An inquiry has been set up by the Maharashtra CricketAssociation to deal with the issue," said Khanna.

#IndiaToday's Mega Expose: Pune curator Pandurang Salgaonkar spills the beans on 'accommodating pitch' for cricketers.#OperationCricketGate pic.twitter.com/yu3Irvkkik

— India Today (@IndiaToday) October 25, 2017

"We are also working with the (BCCI) anti-corruption unit to get to the bottom of the matter as everybody has acted very swiftly to the claims of the sting operation." India need to win Wednesday's match to stay alive in the three-match series, after they were delivered a stunning defeat in the opener in Mumbai on Sunday.

#OperationCricketGateBan Pune pitch curator: Mohammad Azharuddin. Listen what other cricketers said. #ITVideoRead: https://t.co/MvNlWdz8bZ pic.twitter.com/sfOJ0SXFZP

— India Today (@IndiaToday) October 25, 2017