India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday broke his silence on the Eden Gardens pitch controversy, offering a fiery defence of the much-debated surface after India’s defeat to South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series in Kolkata. Rejecting criticism of the track, Gautam Gambhir insisted it was exactly the kind of pitch the team wanted, shifting the focus to the Indian batters and accusing them of lacking discipline and intent in the 30-run loss.
After a 15-wicket Day 2 in Kolkata, India looked poised to take a 1-0 lead against the reigning World Test Champions. South Africa began the third morning seven down and only 63 ahead, seemingly headed for an inevitable defeat. But Temba Bavuma’s bravehearted resistance, a level of grit the Indian batters couldn’t match, turned the script on its head, powering South Africa to an unthinkable victory – their first Test win on Indian soil in 15 years.
The Eden Gardens track had been under the scanner from Day 1, with its variable bounce troubling almost everyone, barring Bavuma. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh slammed the wicket as “pathetic, utter nonsense”, while ex-England captain Michael Vaughan branded it “awful”. Yet, Gautam Gambhir, in the post-match press conference, said that this was precisely the pitch the management had asked for, and blamed the home team for their failure to “absorb the pressure”.
“It was not an unplayable wicket. 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.
“We ask for the pitch to aid spinners from day one so that toss doesn’t become crucial. Had we won the Test you wouldn’t be asking or discussing so much about pitch. We’ve got the guys to deliver in any condition,” he added.
Gautam Gambhir cited Bavuma’s unbeaten knock of 55, the only half-century score in the match, and Washington Sundar’s fighting 31 off 29 to to validate his argument.
“This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. There were no demons or not unplayable. Axar, Temba, Washington made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, majority wickets were taken by seamers,” he added.
Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth has criticised the selectors and team management following the loss to South Africa in the 1st Test in Kolkata on Sunday. India were outplayed by the Proteas on Day 3 after having dominated the first two days of play at the Eden Gardens. Chasing 124 to win, India were bowled out for 93 after captain Shubman Gill did not bat in the second innings. Gill, who retired hurt due to a neck injury after playing just three balls in the first innings, was taken to the hospital for observation on Saturday.
Kris Srikkanth raises questions on Gautam Gambhir’s acceptance of detoriated pitch in 1st Test at Kolkata
Former batter Kris Srikkanth posed a blunt take on India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s statement on the pitch after their defeat against South Africa. The hosts lost the first Test by 30 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Notably, the match finished in two and a half days. It was a tricky surface as batters from both sides struggled. However, during the post-match press conference, Gautam Gambhir stated that there were no demons on the pitch and that the batters should have applied themselves better.
Kris Srikkanth disagreed with Gautam Gambhir’s statement regarding the pitch. The former opener questioned how batters could have played on such a surface. He questioned the choice of wanting such a wicket and then called Gambhir out for blaming the batters’ techniques.
“The point I dont understand is, Gambhir told there are no demons and you should show better technique and all that. How can you play on this kind of a wicket? So many batters tried to defend and got out at slip or lbw. Let’s face it, this South Africa is not a strong batting line-up or a strong side.
Why do you want to keep on persisting on these kind of bad wickets and then blame the technique of the players? That is not right. No matter who you are, how can you survive on this wicket? Bavuma did but that was just one player out of all,” he said on his YouTube channel.
Kris Srikkanth called for an even contest between bat and ball. He recalled how India could do well in England and draw the series because the wickets enabled an even contest. The former batter reflected how the pitch was uneven in Kolkata, while some deliveries were also shooting down, making it difficult for the batters.
Kris Srikkanth further slammed the pitch used for the first Test between the two teams. In six home Tests under Gautam Gambhir, this was India’s fourth defeat. He highlighted how the hosts have been preparing such wickets for a while but have not learnt from their mistakes. They had suffered a 3-0 whitewash at home against New Zealand last year.
“This is a horrible record at home. We are playing with full fledged sides. Gambhir said this is the wicket we asked for but this is not the wicket you should be playing Test cricket on. The ball is turning from the first day. We are doing this for many years and not learning from the mistakes. Everything is wrong with this wicket. Even if I bowled stump to stump on this track I would get a wicket,” he said.
Kris Srikkanth called Gautam Gambhir out by stating how both teams struggled to score runs. He questioned how there could be no demons if both teams found it difficult to bat.
“This is a crappy track. You cannot say that you need to apply yourselves on such a crappy track. If not one team is scoring more runs how can it be a good wicket? He is talking absurd things. Everybody is struggling. Both the teams were struggling. Whether he is under pressure or not, I don’t know but India is under pressure now.”
South Africa were bowled out for 159 in the first innings. In reply, India got to just 189. The visitors managed to score 153 in the second innings, while the hosts were skittled out for 93 chasing 124.
Also Read: IND VS SA: Ravindra Jadeja’s 4-Wicket Haul Sinks South Africa In The Evening Session.