Eden Gardens Pitch Curator Breaks Silence On Pitch Controversy, Blames Instructions
Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee broke his silence on the controversy surrounding the surface after India suffered a shocking loss in the first Test match against South Africa.
- Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee defended the pitch for the 1st India vs South Africa Test
- Mukherjee stated he prepared the pitch exactly as instructed for a proper Test match
- "I do my job with dedication, and I want to continue doing that in the future as well,” he said
Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee broke his silence on the controversy surrounding the surface after India suffered a shocking loss in the first Test match against South Africa. Both teams failed to post 200-plus totals in both innings and chasing 124, India were bundled out for just 93. Following the loss, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding the pitch at Eden Gardens with many former cricketers criticising it for being detrimental to the future of Test cricket. Mukherjee said that the pitch was 'not bad at all' and made it clear that he did just as he was instructed.
"This pitch is not bad at all," Mukherjee said in an interview with Times Now Bangla.
"I know everyone is questioning this pitch. Honestly, I know how to prepare a pitch for a Test. That's exactly what I did. I did it as instructed. I don't think about what others say. Not everyone knows everything. So I do my job with dedication, and I want to continue doing that in the future as well,” Mukherjee added.
Earlier, India's head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday backed Eden Gardens' under-fire curator while lamenting his batters' inability to "absorb pressure" and find a way to score runs on the challenging surface in the opening Test against South Africa.
South Africa successfully defended 124 to humble India by 30 runs, having bowled the home team out for 93 in their second innings to wrap up the match under three days.
The result continued the worrying trend of home reversals that has seen them lose four of their last six home Tests and nine of the 18 matches under Gambhir.
"It was not an unplayable wicket, there were no demons," Gambhir said at the post-match media interaction.
"If you are willing to put your head down and if you have a solid defense, if you have a temperament, you can definitely score runs," he said.
(With PTI inputs)
Gautam Gambhir
South Africa Cricket Team
India Cricket Team