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[pzd]

http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Dhoni-says-thanks-to-Kanpur-pitch-curator/296643/

Kanpur, April 14:  A grateful Mahendra Singh Dhoni sent a note of thanks and Rs 10,000 to Green Park stadium's pitch curator for preparing the turning track that helped the hosts clinch the series-levelling win over South Africa in the third Test in Kanpur.

Curator Shiv Kumar said he was pleasantly surprised to receive a personal note of thanks and the cash reward from the stand-in Test skipper after the hosts beat the Proteas inside three days on a crumbling pitch to level the series 1-1.

Kumar said regular Test skipper Anil Kumble, who missed the decider due to a groin injury, also came down to meet and thank him for preparing the "spinner-friendly" pitch after the match.

Off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who won the man of the series award for scalping 19 wickets, also met Kumar to praise and thank him.

However, Kumar maintained that the Green Park wicket was a sporting one and it was unfair to say that it only aided the slower bowlers.

"The South African batsmen just couldn't get used to it (the pitch) and were unsure of how the ball would behave," he said.

[dhruvdeepak]

wtf sort of a precedent is this?
can we go to England and pay the curator 10,000 Pounds to prepare a raging turner?

[achutank]

it's  new india now, it's IPL time now, it's all new ways now,

perhaps when ganguly was huggng poker-faced dhoni he also muttered to him what he can do with the money he earned playing poker-at-the-ball-to-give-catch-practice-in-tests

[gouravk]

isnt this blatant bribery ?

[achutank]

isnt this blatant bribery ?

aah in between getting irked you also get a point eh well done

[OldPal]

Out of crores dhoni earns, wins the first test match under captaincy : Keemat Dus Hazaaar 
A thank yo note would had done. money should not be publicised .I however understand that in india paisa bolta hi. Mr. Kumar may have bee 100 times more happier to recieve the cash than just the Thank U note 

[poondu]

Well done dhoni. Now hire some goons and kick the crap out of the Ahmedabad curator

[Cover Point]

why is he so freakin cheap!!!

thats $250!!! Just this Month Dhoni is set to ear FREAKING 1.5 MILLION .....

[ruchir]

I think Rs. 10,000 is perfectly fine. It's not too much, to raise bribery eyebrows. It's a token amount. It's also not too little, keeping in mind MSD's current monetary status.

Had he given more, ICC may have started an investigation. Had he given less, it would have looked ridiculous. MSD surely know the art of good PR.

[gouravk]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

[Cover Point]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

Help me understand what is wrong in paying the groundsman to give you the wicket we want? The wicket is supposed to be prepared by the home board anyway ... and Dhoni's team is representing that home board.

Actually wish SG would have been smart enough (or was capable) of bribing the Nagpur curator (so pay the curator instead of the doctor).

Would have made a difference to the series

[kban1]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

[RicePlateReddy]

Fixing is banned, but rewarding the curator is kosher? All that Dawood has to do then is to own a few cricket grounds.

[kban1]

Fixing is banned, but rewarding the curator is kosher? All that Dawood has to do then is to own a few cricket grounds.

did you miss the smilie ?

[Vick]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

Help me understand what is wrong in paying the groundsman to give you the wicket we want? The wicket is supposed to be prepared by the home board anyway ... and Dhoni's team is representing that home board.

Actually wish SG would have been smart enough (or was capable) of bribing the Nagpur curator (so pay the curator instead of the doctor).

Would have made a difference to the series

And the Curator would have gone against his boss (next BCCI president and modren version of Jaichand) and would have done the job for the guy from opposition?

[gouravk]

i think the icc should look into this.

[ruchir]

i think the icc should look into this.

Is this a joke?

I guess, ICC should look into why bouncy and seaming pitches are prepared in AUS, ENG, NZ, SA too. Right? Who knows, those team captains might also be paying the curators of their countries to prepare pitches that help their kind of bowlers. Going by MSD example, that is certainly not out of bounds. It's just that those monetary transactions have found themselves out in the media world. But ICC should definitely investigate those countries too, and see why only a particular type of pitches are prepared there.

[Cernunnos]

It's certainly in bad taste. What next, you gift the umpire a watch for doing a good job?

[RicePlateReddy]

It's certainly in bad taste. What next, you gift the umpire a watch for doing a good job?

A watch wouldn't do for Bucknor. He needs Jesus:

[ruchir]

It's certainly in bad taste. What next, you gift the umpire a watch for doing a good job?

So you do believe that curator did a good job. Don't you? Anyways, umpires are not hired by BCCI. They are hired by ICC and it's up to ICC to reward them. Kanpur curator was hired by BCCI, so it's not entirely wrong to reward him for a job well done. Who knows, MSD might have been acting on behalf of BCCI!!

[Cernunnos]

It's certainly in bad taste. What next, you gift the umpire a watch for doing a good job?

So you do believe that curator did a good job. Don't you? Anyways, umpires are not hired by BCCI. They are hired by ICC and it's up to ICC to reward them. Kanpur curator was hired by BCCI, so it's not entirely wrong to reward him for a job well done. Who knows, MSD might have been acting on behalf of BCCI!!

What I meant by "good job" was giving favourable decisions. The problem is not in gifting a token sum to the curator. It's about being selective. I have no problems if Dhoni tips every curator he plays a test on, but I doubt whether he would have tipped the A'bad curator.
 

[cricinfo]

It's certainly in bad taste. What next, you gift the umpire a watch for doing a good job?

So you do believe that curator did a good job. Don't you? Anyways, umpires are not hired by BCCI. They are hired by ICC and it's up to ICC to reward them. Kanpur curator was hired by BCCI, so it's not entirely wrong to reward him for a job well done. Who knows, MSD might have been acting on behalf of BCCI!!

What I meant by "good job" was giving favourable decisions. The problem is not in gifting a token sum to the curator. It's about being selective. I have no problems if Dhoni tips every curator he plays a test on, but I doubt whether he would have tipped the A'bad curator.
 

how many times you have tipped in a restaurant where you didnt like the food or the service ?

[LosingNow]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

I agree...
1. Curator's actions influenced the results of a competitive match.
2. Indian captains did not reward A'bad and Chennai curators .. so they are not consistently doing this.. therefore, it cannot be called a tip.

How would have we felt if RP paid Bucknor a $100 "tip" after the Sydney match?

[LosingNow]

It's certainly in bad taste. What next, you gift the umpire a watch for doing a good job?

So you do believe that curator did a good job. Don't you? Anyways, umpires are not hired by BCCI. They are hired by ICC and it's up to ICC to reward them. Kanpur curator was hired by BCCI, so it's not entirely wrong to reward him for a job well done. Who knows, MSD might have been acting on behalf of BCCI!!

What I meant by "good job" was giving favourable decisions. The problem is not in gifting a token sum to the curator. It's about being selective. I have no problems if Dhoni tips every curator he plays a test on, but I doubt whether he would have tipped the A'bad curator.
 

how many times you have tipped in a restaurant where you didnt like the food or the service ?

I have tipped for bad service or food.. but only 5% of the bill (unlike the customary 15-20% depending on the service).. that gets the message across.

[dextrous]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

I agree...
1. Curator's actions influenced the results of a competitive match.
2. Indian captains did not reward A'bad and Chennai curators .. so they are not consistently doing this.. therefore, it cannot be called a tip.

How would have we felt if RP paid Bucknor a $100 "tip" after the Sydney match?

Umpire is supposed to be neutral; curator has no such obligation.

[achutank]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

Help me understand what is wrong in paying the groundsman to give you the wicket we want? The wicket is supposed to be prepared by the home board anyway ... and Dhoni's team is representing that home board.

Actually wish SG would have been smart enough (or was capable) of bribing the Nagpur curator (so pay the curator instead of the doctor).

Would have made a difference to the series

And the Curator would have gone against his boss (next BCCI president and modren version of Jaichand) and would have done the job for the guy from opposition?

and after this vicious jab from Vick, CPbhai found many other things that needed his immediate attention

bhai aaj kal fervour down hai? kya vitamins lena bandh ho gaya? 

[Cover Point]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

Help me understand what is wrong in paying the groundsman to give you the wicket we want? The wicket is supposed to be prepared by the home board anyway ... and Dhoni's team is representing that home board.

Actually wish SG would have been smart enough (or was capable) of bribing the Nagpur curator (so pay the curator instead of the doctor).

Would have made a difference to the series

And the Curator would have gone against his boss (next BCCI president and modren version of Jaichand) and would have done the job for the guy from opposition?

and after this vicious jab from Vick, CPbhai found many other things that needed his immediate attention

bhai aaj kal fervour down hai? kya vitamins lena bandh ho gaya? 

Hum bolte hain to bolte ho ki bolta hain.

Hum na bolen to aapka man nahin lagta.

Yeh pyaar bhi kamaal hai

[achutank]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

Help me understand what is wrong in paying the groundsman to give you the wicket we want? The wicket is supposed to be prepared by the home board anyway ... and Dhoni's team is representing that home board.

Actually wish SG would have been smart enough (or was capable) of bribing the Nagpur curator (so pay the curator instead of the doctor).

Would have made a difference to the series

And the Curator would have gone against his boss (next BCCI president and modren version of Jaichand) and would have done the job for the guy from opposition?

and after this vicious jab from Vick, CPbhai found many other things that needed his immediate attention

bhai aaj kal fervour down hai? kya vitamins lena bandh ho gaya? 

Hum bolte hain to bolte ho ki bolta hain.

Hum na bolen to aapka man nahin lagta.

Yeh pyaar bhi kamaal hai

cpbhai tumhara version 2 mein poetry bhi hai wah kya baat hai,

this sounds as sweet as dada's cover drive

[Cover Point]

why ? even a rupee given will be construed as a bribe by me.

Help me understand what is wrong in paying the groundsman to give you the wicket we want? The wicket is supposed to be prepared by the home board anyway ... and Dhoni's team is representing that home board.

Actually wish SG would have been smart enough (or was capable) of bribing the Nagpur curator (so pay the curator instead of the doctor).

Would have made a difference to the series

And the Curator would have gone against his boss (next BCCI president and modren version of Jaichand) and would have done the job for the guy from opposition?

and after this vicious jab from Vick, CPbhai found many other things that needed his immediate attention

bhai aaj kal fervour down hai? kya vitamins lena bandh ho gaya? 

Hum bolte hain to bolte ho ki bolta hain.

Hum na bolen to aapka man nahin lagta.

Yeh pyaar bhi kamaal hai

cpbhai tumhara version 2 mein poetry bhi hai wah kya baat hai,

this sounds as sweet as dada's cover drive

Sir poetry to version 1 main bhi thee ... humare phool aapko to kaante lagte the

[Libran]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

It has been clarified that this is a practice that has been followed.. it is not Dhoni but all the players contributing and it gets disributed to all the groundsmen for the work they do / have done over a five day test match... If this is a bribe, tipping in a retaurant is a bribe..paying a driver for valet parking is a bribe

Why this got reported is anyone's guess ?

[dhruvdeepak]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

It has been clarified that this is a practice that has been followed.. it is not Dhoni but all the players contributing and it gets disributed to all the groundsmne for the work they do / have done over a five day test match... If this is a bribe, tipping in a retaurant is a bribe..paying a driver for valet parking is a bribe

Why this got reported is anyone's guess ?

yeah i heard about this...seems acceptable to me. not like the bcci will pay them

[pipsqueak]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

It has been clarified that this is a practice that has been followed.. it is not Dhoni but all the players contributing and it gets disributed to all the groundsmne for the work they do / have done over a five day test match... If this is a bribe, tipping in a retaurant is a bribe..paying a driver for valet parking is a bribe

Why this got reported is anyone's guess ?

i guess the interesting Q would be whether the groundsmen/curator at Ahmedabad and Chennai were also appreciated similarly.

[Libran]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

It has been clarified that this is a practice that has been followed.. it is not Dhoni but all the players contributing and it gets disributed to all the groundsmne for the work they do / have done over a five day test match... If this is a bribe, tipping in a retaurant is a bribe..paying a driver for valet parking is a bribe

Why this got reported is anyone's guess ?

i guess the interesting Q would be whether the groundsmen/curator at Ahmedabad and Chennai were also appreciated similarly.

May not be... depends on captains...and this is the season of scoring brownie points

On a serious note... lot of other factors to consider...some personal issues of the curator and his team....that maybe known to the likes of Kaif and RPS ... which requires monetary support

Why read too much into all this? not everything is public info...not yet atleast

[LosingNow]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

It has been clarified that this is a practice that has been followed.. it is not Dhoni but all the players contributing and it gets disributed to all the groundsmne for the work they do / have done over a five day test match... If this is a bribe, tipping in a retaurant is a bribe..paying a driver for valet parking is a bribe

Why this got reported is anyone's guess ?

i guess the interesting Q would be whether the groundsmen/curator at Ahmedabad and Chennai were also appreciated similarly.

Eggjacktly

[poondu]

why should the curator at Ah'd be paid? he should be stoned 

[dextrous]

you guys are missing the point --its not a bribe anyways because the payment was made in appreciation, and not in anticipation. 

Also, if i remember correctly, captains paying curators in appreciation is not new -- there is an article (check the match thread) where the former curator talks about being rewarded by former captains.

It has been clarified that this is a practice that has been followed.. it is not Dhoni but all the players contributing and it gets disributed to all the groundsmne for the work they do / have done over a five day test match... If this is a bribe, tipping in a retaurant is a bribe..paying a driver for valet parking is a bribe

Why this got reported is anyone's guess ?

i guess the interesting Q would be whether the groundsmen/curator at Ahmedabad and Chennai were also appreciated similarly.

Eggjacktly

Huh? Why should they be? Should the Nagpur a-hole be given money too...oh wait, he's being rewarded with presidency...

[gouravk]

if captains in australia england south africa have been bribing curators they should be brought up to.

however no such report has come out yet so i dont know how we can say whether or not they do it.

this was completely unthinkable and i could never imagine something like this happening.

[dextrous]

if captains in australia england south africa have been bribing curators they should be brought up to.

however no such report has come out yet so i dont know how we can say whether or not they do it.

this was completely unthinkable and i could never imagine something like this happening.

first of, it isn't bribe. it is post-match. perhaps an 'incentive' to future curators in making pitches that suit us...and that's a cynical way of looking at it. the non-cynical way is to accept is as a toke of gratitude given to groundsmen from players. either way, nothing illegal has taken place.

this is the world of IPL where boards have to beg modi to let their stars play for the nation..

[gouravk]

yes .. it sets a precedent for players to give tokens of gratitudes to umpires also ... doesnt it ?

[broadbat]

Hmmm ensuring that a Test finishes in 3 days in the home teams favour is worth Rs10,000 to the curator?
Nothing illegal may have taken place but it is not a practice that I am particularly enthused about.
As for tipping waiters and valet parking attendants as ravi points out, is fair play but not if there is a competition involved.
Why not tip the umpires for doing a good job after the game or is that not allowed?