“What we asked…”- Gautam Gambhir reacts to controversial IND vs SA Eden Gardens surface post India’s 30-defeat
The head coach of the Indian cricket team, Gautam Gambhir, has reacted the surface of the Eden Gardens for the opening Test between India and South Africa in the two-match Test series.
When India had South Africa on the floor with 93/7 by the end of the second day’s play during the opening Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, many reckoned that it would be an easy chase for the Blue Brigade to go 1-0 up in the two-match series. But it wasn’t the case as Temba Bavuma’s gritty 55* set the target of 124 runs for the home side.
And once India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul for one run in the absence of Shubman Gill, who had been hospitalized due to a neck spasm, the end was near for a side struggling to play the spinners. Gautam Gambhir, India’s head coach, revealed that it was the exact nature of the surface they wanted.
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“There weren't any demons. Bavuma, Axar, and Washington scored runs. Those who had good defense scored runs. You should know how to play when the ball turns. This is what we asked for, and the curator was supportive. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for.” Gambhir expressed during the post-match presentation.
Gautam Gambhir not disappointed with Eden Gardens surface for IND vs SA 1st Test
In the first innings, the Proteas were bundled out for 159 runs in the first innings before the home side earned a tiny lead of 30 runs. They had the chance to kill the game in the first innings with a lead of over 100, but they couldn’t. In the fourth innings, as expected, they got bundled out for 93 in the 124-run chase.
Among the pacers of the Indian side, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj picked up 10 wickets across innings, while the spinners collected the remaining 10 wickets. On the other hand, India lost 12 out of the 18 available wickets against the Protea spinners. Even the CAB president, Sourav Ganguly, confirmed that it was the exact surface the hosts asked for.
“The pitch is what the Indian camp wanted. This is what happens when you don’t water the pitch for four days. Curator Sujan Mukherjee can’t be blamed. They haven’t asked for it yet, so I can’t answer that question. It looks like a very good one.” Ganguly concluded.
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