ICC Verdict Out On Eden Gardens Pitch Where India Failed To Chase 124 vs South Africa

The Eden Gardens pitch that hosted the first India vs South Africa Test from November 14-16 drew a lot of flak after the hosts failed to chase a 124-run target. South African spinner Simon Harmer scalped eight wickets in the match as the Gautam Gambhir-coached Indian cricket team slumped to a 30-run loss. While several experts criticised the pitch, Gambhir did not agree. "It was not an unplayable wicket, there were no demons," he said. "This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. The curator was very, very helpful and supportive. This is exactly what we wanted, and this is exactly what we got. When you don't play well, this is what happens."

While most former players did not agree with the comment, the ICC seemed happy with the pitch on offer. It rated the pitch as "satisfactory," according to a report by TOI. This came a few days after the ICC rated the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch, which hosted the Australia vs England Boxing Day Test, "unsatisfactory." The venue was handed one demerit point as well.

Coming back to Eden Gardens, Anil Kumble, a legendary spinner and former coach of the Indian team, expressed shock at some of Gambhir's remarks on the pitch.

"If you look back at the legacy of Eden Gardens, there have been so many Test matches played here. I've been coming here since I was an Under-19 kid, and I've never seen a pitch behave like this over three days in a Test match," Kumble said on JioHotstar after the match. "I did listen to what Gautam said; he mentioned that the team wanted something like this. Then I'm a bit confused because I know this is a young side."

Dale Steyn, one of the finest South African pacers to have played the game, directly countered Gambhir's "no demons" statement.

"He said there weren't demons in the pitch? I certainly saw quite a lot," Steyn, who was part of the same panel, said. "You know, as Anil was saying, some balls were spinning two feet past the bat, hitting the keeper on the shoulder. The next one was skidding through, hitting the pad, and you're out. That's pretty tough to bat on. When batters don't have the option to score runs, the application of defence becomes the biggest key. That itself means batting is really difficult."

Ravichandran Ashwin took a slightly different stance on the subject, refusing to call the Eden Gardens pitch a "turner" but admitting that it was "dangerous."

"If someone calls this Eden Gardens pitch a turner, I will not agree with them one bit. It was proper wicket preparation that went awry. The point I agree with is that it was quite dangerous. But my view is, give a turner. But there are only a few surfaces where you can give a turner. You cannot give a turner at Eden Gardens. If you try to give a turner there, the wicket will turn like this," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team India vs South Africa 2025, India Eden Gardens International Cricket Council Cricket