WPL 2024: Meet India’s first ever woman pitch curator Jacintha Kalyan – All about her journey

Jacintha Kalyan is reaching great heights as she becomes the first ever woman to hold the position of pitch curator in the history of Indian cricket.

From being a receptionist to handling administrative tasks and now wearing the hat of a pitch curator, Jacintha Kalyan’s career has certainly been full of wonders. After more than three decades of association with the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), Jacintha is now all set to become the country’s first woman pitch curator. Jacintha, the daughter of a rice farmer, will oversee pitch preparations in the first leg of this year’s Women’s Premier League (WPL) in Bengaluru.

Legends of the game strolled around as cricket history was etched onto the iconic ground while Jacintha quietly climbed her own ladder on the sidelines. Jacintha left her village Harobele, 80 kilometers away from Bengaluru, to work as a receptionist at the KSCA office at Chinnaswamy Stadium. At the time, Jacintha had little idea that in thirty years she would be taking on the role of pitch curator.

“I am not a cricketer, I used to watch the match every now and then. I didn’t understand anything except fours and sixes. In 2014, Mr. Brijesh (Patel), the then secretary of the KSCA, asked me to take charge of the groundsmen. It took me about six months to get used to the role. He then asked Prashanth (Rao) sir (chief curator) to guide me and teach me everything about the art of pitch preparation as he thought I was showing interest,” Jacintha told Deccan Herald.