Irfan Pathan Pinpoints 'Pitch' Conundrum For Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir: "Caught In The Middle"
Much has been said and written about the nature of the pitch, and the Indian team is facing a dilemma on whether to prepare spin-friendly surfaces or opt for more balanced, sporting tracks during the two-match series.
- Irfan Pathan has weighed in on the pitch debate ahead of the 1st Test against South Africa in Kolkata
- The former India star feels that the pitch might not be a rank-turner due to the early winter conditions
- "India are caught in the middle. They have a good seam bowling attack," said Irfan
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has weighed in on the pitch debate ahead of the 1st Test against South Africa in Kolkata, starting November 14. Much has been said and written about the nature of the pitch, and the Indian team is facing a dilemma on whether to prepare spin-friendly surfaces or opt for more balanced, sporting tracks during the two-match series. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan touched upon the same topic, suggesting that the pitch might not be a rank-turner due to the early winter conditions in the eastern part of India.
"The first challenge for India would be whether they should go for a turning track or pitches suiting the fast bowlers. When India defeated South Africa in 2015, they made rank turners where R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja picked up over 30 wickets in the series. Whereas, in 2019, an attempt was made to make more sporting pitches, and it became good for batting," said Irfan.
Speaking further, Irfan highlighted the remarks made by Eden Gardens' senior pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee, who said that the pitch would be a sporting one.
"But now, India are caught in the middle. They have a good seam bowling attack in Bumrah, Siraj, and Akash Deep. On the other hand, there are good spinners too, Axar, Kuldeep, Jadeja, and Sundar, all are there. But the problem is, we are playing in early winter, so there won't be many dry surfaces in the eastern part of the country. Even the Eden Gardens curator has said that it will be a sporting pitch," he added.
Speaking on Wednesday, Mukherjee suggested that bowlers operating in the morning session will have an edge due to the conditions assisting swing and the pitch providing good carry.
"In Eden Gardens, whoever bowls in the morning session will get swing," Mukherjee said in a video posted by Star Sports.
"The wicket has good carry, so they should practice slip catching," he added.
Emphasising the importance of preparation in the slips, Mukherjee warned that edges are likely to come into play.
"You can't say there will be no edges, there may be edges and carry as well," he explained.
"That's why they should practice slip catching," he noted.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Irfan Pathan