The pitch at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has come under sharp focus with only three days to go for the first Test of the two-match red-ball series between India and South Africa. The iconic venue is hosting its first Test since 2019, which was a pink-ball game between India and Bangladesh, and the kind of conditions it would present is anybody’s guess, with worrying signs starting to creep up.
According to PTI, after a three-hour practice session, the Indian team’s think tank, comprising head coach Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotal, bowling coach Morne Morkel, and captain Shubman Gill, gathered at the centre wicket for a long pitch inspection.
“Morkel and Gill checked the firmness before summoning curator Sujan Mukherjee for a 15-minute discussion.
Judging by their expressions, the management did not appear entirely pleased with the surface. The pitch, which has not been watered for a week now, appeared dry and brown with light grass patches,” the report said.
The report said even Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly and other officials held discussions with Mukherjee. Still, while the groundsmen watered the adjoining areas of the square, the main pitch was deliberately left dry.
Mukherjee and Ganguly have both gone on record saying the pitch would be ‘very good’ with the ball turning as the match progresses. The latter also mentioned that the team had not explicitly asked him for a ‘rank turner’.
Interestingly, the Eden Gardens used to be a spin haven before 2015. After years of big changes, including relaying of the pitch, it started to offer bounce and pace.
Since then, even Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the home franchise, have attempted to ask for spinning tracks at the ground to suit their excellent spin trios. However, they have received nothing but retorts from Mukherjee, who is popular for standing his ground against IPL coaches and captains.
“There has been enough talk about the wicket. Mai kuch bolunga toh bawaal ho jayega (if I say anything, it will cause a controversy),” captain Ajinkya Rahane said in at a post-match press conference last yer. “Let me just keep it that way. Our curator (Sujan Mukherjee) has got a lot of publicity. I think he’s happy with that publicity. You (the media) can write whatever you want about the home advantage. If I feel like it, I’ll tell the IPL team rather than talking here. I’ll talk to the concerned authorities,” he added.
Although India should theoretically want spin-friendly wickets to support the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, too, they know better from past experiences. When it comes to Test matches, rank turners tend to neutralize the home advantage by giving a big boost to the visiting teams’ spinners — exactly what happened when New Zealand whitewashed Rohit Sharma’s men here in 2024.
