India head coach Gautam Gambhir came out in support of the under-fire Eden Gardens pitch following his team’s loss in the first Test against South Africa.
Gambhir: I thought the curator was very supportive
India’s first Test at the Eden Gardens since 2019 didn’t go as planned, as they were unable to chase 124 in the fourth innings, falling short by 30 runs. Simon Harmer spun a web with his second four-wicket haul of the match, finishing with match figures of 8 for 51.
The pitch had been under scrutiny since day one, with the surface offering variable bounce and only one batter – Temba Bavuma – managing a half-century. Criticism poured in from several corners – former India spinner Harbhajan Singh labelled the wicket "pathetic, utter nonsense", while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it "awful".
However, at the post-match press conference, Gambhir made it clear that the pitch was exactly what India had asked for and blamed the hosts' loss on the batters' failure to "absorb the pressure".
"The point is that you should be able to know how to play turn. And this is what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive," Gambhir said.
Temba Bavuma’s red-ball reign remains untouched 🇿🇦💪#INDvSA #Cricket pic.twitter.com/qarzLrqK5c
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Gambhir's backing of under-fire pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee echoed the stance of Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly, who had earlier clarified that the request for such a pitch had come from the Indian team itself.
He added: "I still believe that irrespective of how the wicket was, 123 (124) was chaseable. And I felt that if you are willing to put your head down and if you have a solid defence, if you have the temperament, you can definitely score runs. Yes, it might not be a wicket that is going to be very flamboyant where you can play those big shots.
"But if you are willing to put your head down, definitely it's a wicket where you can score. I think the inconsistent bounce came into it a lot, both for seamers and spinners. But we always felt that if we could get those partnerships, if we could have a 50-run partnership or a 40-run partnership, we will be in the game. And we were at one stage having that kind of a partnership as well.
"When Dhruv and Washi (Sundar) were batting, and then when Washi and Jaddu were batting. So it's about, what, from 30 if you can get to that 60 run-partnership, that is where the game is. And again, it boils down to whether we have the ability at that time to absorb the pressure and keep breaking those big targets into those small targets"
This is not the first time Mukherjee has found himself at the centre of a pitch-related storm. Most recently, during the IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane expressed his dissatisfaction with the Eden surface, saying it did not assist the team’s spin-heavy attack. Mukherjee, however, appeared to push back in an interview with RevSportz, emphasising that he would not alter the pitch to suit team preferences.
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