Curator gets thanks, prize, from Dhoni

Kanpur: 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 here.

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.