Gambhir drops truth bomb, ends pitch controversy

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir has said that the pitch curator at the Eden Gardens, the infamous Sujan Mukherjee, was very supportive and the team was provided with the type of track they asked for,

although it backfired on them and handed them a 30-run defeat to South Africa.

Chasing a modest 124, India lacked the composure and clarity that Proteas captain Temba Bavuma had shown earlier, collapsing to 93 all out in 35 overs. With skipper Shubman Gill hospitalised because of a neck injury, he was unavailable to bat on Day 3.

On a track expected to aid Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, it was South Africa off-spinner Simon Harmer who proved decisive, claiming a match haul of eight wickets.

“This pitch is what we asked for and this is what we got; the curator here was very supportive. I don’t think it is a difficult wicket. I think it is a wicket that can judge your mental toughness, as ones who played with good defence scored runs,” Gambhir said while speaking to the media at the post-match press conference.

“More than skill, I think it is about the ability to absorb pressure. When you look at technique, mental toughness and temperament, pitches like this actually allow batters to develop and test themselves,” Gambhir added.

This marked India’s fourth home loss in their last six Tests, after the 0-3 drubbing against New Zealand on turning pitches last year. The setback has once again reignited questions over the Indian batters’ proficiency on spin-friendly tracks.

“I thought the curator was very supportive and I still believe that irrespective of how the wicket played, 123 was chaseable. If you are willing to put your head down, have a solid defence and the temperament, you can definitely score runs,” Gambhir said.

“It may not be a wicket where you can be flamboyant or play big shots, but if you are patient, you can score. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. As I said before, the curator was very helpful,” Gambhir added.

India play the second and the final Test of the series from Saturday, November 22 in Guwahati.