Dhruv Jurel gets out to Simon Harmer. (EXPRESS PHOTO by Partha Paul)With all the talk around India vs South Africa first Test match at Eden Gardens revolving around the nature of the pitch rolled out, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has dismissed all the talks about the surface, stressing that the pitch was exactly what his team had wanted.
“This is exactly the pitch we were looking for,” Gambhir said after India failed to chase 124 in the fourth innings. “And I feel that the curator was very, very helpful. This is exactly what we wanted and this is exactly what we got. If you don’t play well, this is what happens,” Gambhir told reporters after India lost to South Africa by 30 runs on Day 3 of the first Test.
Apart from South Africa captain Temba Bavuma who scored a gritty half-century on Sunday morning, batsmen from both teams struggled to adjust to the challenges offered by the track that saw variable bounce from Day 1. In the fourth innings, Washington Sundar was the lone Indian batsman to face more than 50 deliveries taking 92 balls for his 31.
Gambhir pointed out that players who had a solid defensive base and temperament were able to play on the pitch. “First of all, there were no demons in the wicket. This wasn’t an unplayable wicket. Temba Bavuma also made runs, Axar also made runs, Washi also scored. The point is if we always talk about the wicket which you call a turning track, if you see the stats, the majority of wickets were taken by seamers. We always talk about how the wicket is behaving but you’ll see, out of the 40 wickets, the majority have been taken by seamers. This was a pitch where your technique, mental toughness and temperament was tested. If you grind and bat long enough, you can make runs. If you try to play attacking, it’ll be difficult. The players who defended well, like KL Rahul, Washington Sundar, scored runs. I already said that if your defence is solid, it’s not a pitch where you cannot make runs. We have played on tracks like these before as well,” he said.
After suffering whitewash against New Zealand at home last year, ahead of the home season captain Shubman Gill had revealed this team would prefer to play on pitches which help them play long, grinding cricket like they did in England. But just after the Test series against West Indies, as the World Test Championship winners arrived, India went for a different track at Eden. And Gambhir said, this is the sort of pitch that they wanted at Kolkata.
“When there was so much turn on offer, the majority of the wickets went to the seamers. Point is that you should know how to play turn. And this is what we asked for and this is what we got. The curator was very supportive and I still believe, irrespective of how the wicket was, 123 was chaseable. It might not be a wicket that is very, very flamboyant where you can play those big shots but if you are willing to put your head down, this is a wicket where you can score,” he added.
With questions constantly coming back to the pitch issue, a slightly irked Gambhir said that if India had won the match, there would not be so much chatter about the playing surface.
“I have answered whatever questions you had on the pitch. Honestly, this was not an unplayable wicket. We have always said that the turning wickets should be ones where there should be some turn on Day 1 so that the toss does not become an important factor. Ultimately if we had won this Test match, you wouldn’t have talked so much about the pitch. We have to be mentally and skill-wise better rather than having discussions about the wicket. Because the wicket was the same for both teams. So whatever pitch we get in Guwahati, we have got guys in our team who can play on any surface and in any conditions,” Gambhir said.
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