Sports

Cricket's Invisible Labour: The Groundsmen Who Make the Game

Meeting the unsung craftsmen who prepare India's cricket pitches — and asking why their labour remains invisible.

Originally published at scroll.in

Before every test match at Chepauk, before the cameras roll and the commentators take their seats, a small army of men and women labour through the night. They water, roll, and manicure 22 yards of turf that will be dissected, analysed, and blamed for every result — but whose makers will never be named.

This is the story of Indian cricket's groundsmen — the invisible hands behind the nation's most beloved sport. We traveled to six Test venues to meet them, understand their craft, and document a working world that official cricket photography never captures.

Tags: #India #Society