Ranchi: Cricket pitches at the JSCA International Sports Complex in Dhurwa are being overhauled, the first time in eight years, the idea being to ensure the wickets have bounce and are suited for pace in the coming season.

So far, Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) has undertaken general dressing and levelling of the 21 pitches of which 10 are in the main stadium, three the at the Oval ground and eight at the net practice zone nearby.

"We are changing the soil of the existing pitches as a part of the renovation process. Work is underway and pitches should be ready by August," said JSCA chief curator S.B. Singh.

He said 17 of the pitches would be re-laid with black soil, four would have the yellow variety of soil. "A cricket pitch is 10-12 inches deep and we are using fresh black soil procured from Piriyo and Getalsud in Ratu and Angara block, respectively. It's volcanic soil which has undergone physical and chemical tests at Indian Council of Agricultural Research in Nagpur," the seasoned curator added.

Singh said clay content was higher in black soil. "The surface binds well. Moreover, black soil has higher water holding capacity. Pitches prepared from black soil have bounce and pace," he explained.

The curator said four yellow pitches were also being renovated. "Fresh yellow soil procured from Sithio village near the Dhurwa stadium has been used to prepare the pitches afresh. These pitches - one each at Oval ground and the main stadium along with the remaining ones - were laid last year. But, we thought of changing the entire soil again," Singh stated.

Shedding light on the objective behind using yellow soil, or chitta mitti, as it is called locally, he said the idea was to help players effectively handle various pitch conditions at venues outside Jharkhand.

"Our players come across fields prepared from red, yellow and black soil. The game varies a lot depending on the pitch surface," Singh said.

He added that although grass recovery on pitches took time, they were confident that the entire process would be complete by August 31. "We have to complete the work before the start of the new season in September," he said.