After losing the 1st Test vs South Africa in Kolkata, Gautam Gambhir made it crystal clear - this is the exact pitch he requested at Eden Gardens. Maybe he believed that playing four spinners would completely suffocate South Africa, but the opposite happened.
Gambhir on Eden Gardens pitch
"It was not an unplayable wicket. This pitch is exactly what we asked for and this is what we got. The curator, Sujan Mukherjee, was very supportive. I think it's a wicket that can judge your mental toughness, because those who played with good defence scored runs," Gambhir said in the post-match press conference.
Reportedly, Cricket Association of Bengal President Sourav Ganguly advised Gambhir to go ahead with a normal pitch, something similar to the surfaces India played on during their recent tour of England. But the team management was adamant: they wanted a rank turner.
Sourav Ganguly on Gambhir's demand
"There is no controversy. It was not the best Test wicket, but unfortunately, India lost. And they still should have got 120. It wasn't the greatest of Test pitch. Gambhir said they wanted such a pitch and that they themselves instructed the curator," Ganguly told NDTV in an interview.
The result? The Proteas exposed Team India all over again. It’s now obvious that our batters have simply forgotten how to play spin. And unlike us, South Africa didn’t need four spinners to do the damage - they did it with just two. But even after that, Gambhir insists the wicket wasn’t that bad.
"There were no demons. Axar, Temba, Washington - they all made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, remember that the majority of wickets were taken by seamers," Gambhir said. "I don't think this was that difficult a wicket. It was a challenge of technique, mental toughness, and temperament. If you are looking to grind and bat long, you can make runs. But if you are in an attacking mindset, then it becomes difficult. Whoever has defended well - KL Rahul, Bavuma, Washington Sundar - they made runs. So if you have a solid defence, it's not a wicket where you can't make runs. We have played on wickets like this before," the head coach concluded.
Whatever it may be, this obsession with trying to become a great travelling side while repeatedly losing at home is unacceptable. Why can’t we play on pitches like the ones used during Virat Kohli’s captaincy era? With the kind of bowlers India has, they don’t need a minefield to dismantle visiting teams.
And one thing is now beyond doubt - what New Zealand did to us last year was no fluke. We truly have been exposed at home, and Gambhir needs to end his love affair with rank turners. Because every time we prepare one, we end up trapping ourselves instead.
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