Lucknow, Feb. 4 -- Shiv Kumar, one of India's most revered pitch curators and a cornerstone of BCCI's groundsmanship legacy, passed away tragically on Tuesday evening at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, succumbing to a sudden heart failure. The 68-year-old chief curator collapsed while inspecting the field ahead of an upcoming domestic match, leaving the cricket fraternity in profound shock and mourning. He is survived by two sons and a wife. An eye-witness said Kumar was sitting within the ground when he fell off his chair. On being brought to a city hospital, he was declared dead on arrival. Kumar's journey in cricket began humbly in the 1980s as a junior groundsman at Green Park, Uttar Pradesh's historic venue. Rising through the ranks with unmatched dedication, he joined BCCI's official rolls in 1995, curating pitches for over 50 international fixtures. His expertise shone brightest at Green Park, where he served as chief curator since 2012. Known for crafting balanced surfaces that rewarded skill over seam or spin dominance, Kumar's pitches hosted iconic moments: India's memorable 2016 Test win against England, where the track's subtle turn aided spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, and the thrilling 2023 ODI series against Australia, blending bounce and carry. Colleagues hailed him as a "pitch poet." Once he was also appointed as official curator of Bangladesh cricket, which he had refused. An aspiring cricketer during his school days in Bareilly, where he was the school captain, Kumar went for state trials but was not selected. He was so dismayed that he decided he didn't want to play the game anymore. After finishing his diploma in electrical engineering at Bareilly Polytechnic, he ended up working for the state department and eventually was posted into the Uttar Pradesh Sports Department at Allahabad (now Prayagraj). In 2002 he moved to Kanpur, at a time when the BCCI-appointed pitch panel was relaying fast tracks in six centres across India. Former Under-19 skipper of UP and one of the UPCA's administrators at the Green Park stadium, Ashu Mehrotra, termed Kumar's death a big loss to UP cricket. "Shiv bhai could read the soil like a batsman reads spin," Mehrotra said. "Green Park's soul was Shiv Kumar. He turned clay into canvas.Beyond technical prowess, Kumar mentored young curators, conducting workshops for state associations. He shunned the spotlight, preferring early mornings with his roller and evening chai with staff," Mehrotra recalled, adding, "During my stint at the Green Park stadium, he always stood like a solid rock behind my work." UPCA's secretary Prem Manohar Gupta also admired Kumar's contribution in the development of UP cricket. "Kumar's death is a big loss to UP cricket and he was a silent architect of UP cricket's triumphs," said Gupta. BCCI's vice-president, Rajeev Shukla too termed Kumar's death quite tragic and said that it was a big loss to the UP cricket. Meanwhile, Cricket Indonesia also expressed its deepest condolences on the passing of Kumar, whose contribution to the development of cricket infrastructure in Indonesia will always be remembered with respect and gratitude. "Shiv Kumar, a highly respected cricket turf specialist working within India's professional cricket ground preparation ecosystem, including collaborations across venues operating under the network of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, generously took personal time away from his professional duties to travel to Indonesia and support the preparation of turf facilities at the Bali International Oval." "Through his hands-on guidance, expertise, and willingness to share knowledge, Shiv Kumar Yadav played an important role in laying the foundation of what is becoming a historic home for cricket in Indonesia," a release of Cricket Indonesia states. Undoubtedly, Kumar's legacy endures in every perfect crack and true bounce. Cricket has lost a master craftsman, but his pitches will forever echo with the roars of crowds he nurtured....