NEW DELHI: “There were no demons in the pitch,” said India head coach Gautam Gambhir after he was repeatedly asked about the playing surface following India’s 30-run loss in the first Test of the two-match series against the reigning World Test Champions (WTC) winners at the Eden Gardens.Gambhir admitted the pitch was “exactly” what they had asked for and was in no mood to blame the 22 yards for the outcome of the Test. India lost the game inside two and a half days on a pitch that had variable bounce, sharp turn, offered something to the quicks and made batting very difficult from the first hour of Day 1.
It could be gauged from the fact that only one half-century was scored in the game, and that too came in the third innings when South Africa captain Temba Bavuma put on a batting masterclass. Never before on Indian soil has a Test had to wait till the third innings to see an individual half-century. But the Indian camp was satisfied with what curator Sujan Mukherjee had rolled out at the Eden Gardens, even if the tactic backfired, costing them a crucial match and WTC points.“This wasn’t an unplayable wicket,” said Gambhir before adding that the side hadn’t “asked for rank turners”. The coach felt batters with good defence found their way out and backed the young players in the dressing room to keep fighting. Taking the names of Bavuma, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, Gambhir emphasised that it was a challenging pitch but those who put in the hard grind got the results.“Bavuma, Axar and Washington scored runs. The majority of the wickets went to the seamers. We always talk about the pitch and spinning track, but seamers also picked wickets. It was a pitch where your technique and mental toughness are challenged. If you look to grind on pitches like this, you can succeed. If your defence is solid, you can score on pitches like this,” said Gambhir.The head coach and the entire think tank would have had their reasons to play on a surface as challenging as the Eden, but there were few takers for the “no demons in the pitch” comment. Shortly after the presser ended, former South Africa quick Dale Steyn and ex-India captain Anil Kumble spoke at length about the playing surface and were not in agreement with Gambhir’s comments.“A match ended in two and a half days, with bad light also reducing overs, and there were no demons in the pitch?” was Steyn’s quick response.Kumble recalled his own playing days and added that he hasn’t seen an Eden Gardens surface like this since his U-19 days. The two legends of the game got support from former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, who highlighted the growing and concerning trend of dishing out surfaces like this.Pujara explained how it has become the new normal since the COVID-19 break and asserted that surfaces like these make luck, not skill, the most important factor. The luck factor was clearly evident across the four innings as batters survived unplayable deliveries but ended up losing their wickets to some ordinary bowling on occasions.It wasn’t the bowling that was a let-down on a pitch where luck takes over, but the insipid batting as the hosts fell short of the target by 30 runs.The big question, however, still remains: is there a need to play on pitches like these? What purpose is it serving? A Test ending inside three days is no good advertisement for the format and robs a young and inexperienced side of a fair shot at finding their feet.New Zealand came, thrived and beat India 3-0 — fair and square — last year. South Africa were being outplayed for most of the Test but put up a brave fight with the bat in the morning session of Day 3. The fight gave them just enough runs to play with, and from there it was over to the bowlers, pitch and luck.While India battled hard, they fell short of the target with a batter fewer. They will now have to regroup for the Guwahati Test next week, starting November 22, and the big question will remain: is there a need for pitches like these?
