ISL 2015 final: The man who sold his cricket bat to make turfs

Margao: “Those were the days when you used to get a maidaan to play. Earlier, groundsmen used to say ‘I’ll water the pitch and then, you will play.’ But today, one needs a professional player, coach, management and also, a ground up to that level,” says Nandan Heblikar – a one-time junior Karnataka cricketer-turned professional turf consultant.

On the eve of the Indian Super League (ISL) summit clash where a confident FC Goa take on a disciplined Chennaiyin FC, Bengaluru-based Heblikar chose a different winner — the ground.

If Goa had good playing conditions in all their eight matches played at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, here, much of that credit needs to be attributed to 58-year-old Heblikar, the man behind the lush green turf.

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“We have put in a sand-based profile and a sub-surface pipe drainage system, which is not really done in most of the grounds in India and this grass, in Fatorda, is imported grass. This is natural grass called princess seven. It’s a seeded variety and was used in India by us during the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in New Delhi. It was a success there, so we brought it into football and was well received by the players,” he said on Saturday.

“The grass is uniform throughout, there is no question of any weed infestation, it’s a very aggressive grass and doesn’t allow other grasses to come in,” asserted Heblikar, who, besides preparing pitches for CWG, has also helped construct the Wankhede Stadium pitch in Mumbai and Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium in Pune.

Seated on a chair, overlooking his emerald baby, Heblikar pointed what it takes to raise a pitch to this level, while also stressing on key aspects such as a good drainage system.

“When we do drainage for a ground, we take into consideration the climatic conditions of the place like where the ground is located, if it is located in a tropical or a sub-tropical area, then accordingly we give a profile. There is no template for a ground. You can’t say: ‘Oh, I know how to build a ground so I can build a ground anywhere’.

“Each city has different profiles and a diverse sports calendar. For example, in Wankhede, one cannot play cricket from August-September. Drainage takes the precipitation that falls on the surface. In Goa, on this ground, one can play even in the peak of August,” said Heblikar.

The 'field/pitch' debate took a different course. In India, many stadia are known to have fields that are not used for a dedicated sport, which in turn, is a slaughter as far as the sport is concerned.  “There is no defined football ground in India. There are defined cricket grounds. Not one of the ISL venues can be defined as a dedicated football ground,” Heblikar remarked.

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However, he did provide a solution that top executives at BCCI or the AIFF might want to pay heed to. “We are getting into drop-in wickets to solve this. You have two cricket wickets. Once the cricket season is over, you just take the wicket and keep it outside and bring the football pitch into the same place. The wicket is in a cavity so we pick the wicket up with the help of cranes. Outside, there’s a same football format laid in another tray. In this way, fans can be witness to an exciting football and a cricket match,” said Heblikar, who currently is also preparing a cricket pitch in Dehradun.

Getting into turf management business was a roller-coaster ride for Heblikar.

“I have a very funny career. I started off as a banker. I used to play cricket. I was in the State Reserves and Junior State Team and then as a cricketer I joined State Bank. I worked in State Bank for 28 years and then I quit the bank because I got into golf,” he said.

The story doesn’t end there.

“Once I got into golf, I tried to understand more about turfs. It can’t be done just by playing and talking to people so I quit my job and went to UK and US, where I attended a lot of workshops on turf management and then I got back into the country and started my own company,” he stated.

Given that the industry Heblikar has stepped into, is the business self-sustainable? “The market is very big in India and at present it’s a niche market. But in the future it’s going to change because I see a lot of youngsters going abroad and studying turf management and coming back,” Heblikar, who has enrolled his son, Gaurav as a project manager in his team, said.

Heblikar’s contract expires on Sunday, but what remains to be seen is whether the pitch will be maintained keeping the same standards in mind.

“After I hand it back it’s not taken care of. It’s a sad story. Even after the CWG Games, barring Delhi University ground, the other grounds are almost like a beach,” the tone in his voice dipped while relating the tale.

Having received many accolades from players, at the big finale, it’s been a job well accomplished and a huge match is on the cards. But Heblikar is not rooting for any teams. On the contrary, he has a third player in mind. “If I had to choose a winner, I would choose the ground, no doubt,” he added.