Eden Gardens head curator Prabir Mukherjee says the wicket England will play on against India this week will have good pace and bounce, but will not assist anyone too much, despite suggestions that it should favour the spinners.

There was a big uproar last week when Mukherjee was put on 'medical leave' in order to get another groundsman to prepare the wicket according to how Mahendra Singh Dhoni wanted it. But the octogenarian raised a massive objection, saying it was 'immoral' to prepare an unbalanced wicket and accusing the BCCI of insulting him.

He has since been called back to oversee the preparations ahead of the third Test, and says that while spinners will enjoy the track, the batsmen won't be disadvantaged, as was evident in the game between Bengal and Gujarat two weeks ago.

Mukherjee said: "Cricket should be played on pitches of true pace and true bounce. Games should be decided by the quality of the player, not the pitch. It should be the way they bowl that matters. It is not about the pitch.

"This pitch was used for the Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat. They were 18 for 5 in their second innings but they fought back and the match was drawn. Swann and Panesar will enjoy this pitch. They bowl line and length. The pitch will have good pace and bounce."

Of his supposed 'medical leave' until a few days ago, the 83-year-old said that the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) were trying to keep him quiet about the pitch and that there was nothing wrong with him.

The disgruntled groundsman said: "I am at the fag end of my life. They are threatening to suspend me if I talk about the pitch. That is the treatment I get after more than two decades of service at CAB."