Another Test in the subcontinent, another pitch controversy as the India vs South Africa opener in Kolkata stares at an under-3-day finish. Neither of the two teams managed to cross the 200-run mark in any of the four innings, triggering a huge debate among fans and experts about the nature of the pitch prepared by Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee. However, former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is also the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), has put the spotlight back on the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian camp.
Ganguly, in a huge revelation, revealed that the pitch was prepared as per the wishes of the Indian team management. Hence, there’s no point in blaming the curator Mukherjee. In fact, the former skipper also revealed that the pitch wasn’t watered for 4 days before the start of the Test, hence, it had to break the way it did.
“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,” Ganguly told News18 Bangla.
Reactions have come in thick and heavy since the start of the second day’s play in Kolkata. Former India wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik shared a big detail about the pitch and the possible reason behind it breaking apart so early. “The pitch wasn’t watered the night before the match. That’s why it broke up so early,” he said.
South Africa’s former pacer Vernon Philander took an alternate approach, wanting the focus to shift away from the pitch. He said: “Talk about the players, not the pitch. Test cricket is about adapting.”
The tourists’ batting coach Ashwell Prince admitted the surface had eroded trust: “You can’t commit to a shot when the ball shoots or stays low randomly.”
With the ICC expected to issue a “poor” rating and possible demerit points for Eden Gardens, ex-India spinner Harbhajan Singh didn’t hesitate in predicting the death of the longest format because of surfaces like this.
“If we keep serving this, Test cricket won’t need opponents to die: we’ll kill it ourselves,” he said.