Sunil Gavaskar Backs Gautam Gambhir Amid Eden Gardens Pitch Controversy After India’s Collapse

The opening Test between India and South Africa at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens wrapped up in under three days, intensifying scrutiny over India’s batting and the nature of the pitch. India’s failure to chase a modest target of 124 sparked widespread criticism, with many questioning whether the Indian batters are truly equipped to handle spin-friendly conditions.

The pitch itself has become a major talking point, with several experts pointing fingers at pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee. However, former India captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly shifted the blame away from the curator and towards the Indian team management.

“The pitch is exactly what the Indian team requested. This is what happens when the surface is not watered for four days. The curator, Sujan Mukherjee, cannot be blamed,” Ganguly told News18 Bangla.

India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir also defended the pitch, confirming that the team got the conditions they had asked for.

“It wasn’t unplayable. This pitch matched our request, and the curator supported us fully. It was a wicket that demanded mental toughness. Batters who showed solid defence were able to score,” Gambhir said during the post-match press conference.

Backing Gambhir, legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also dismissed criticism directed at the coaching staff.

“I completely agree with Gautam Gambhir. A target of 124 was definitely chaseable on this pitch,” Gavaskar told India Today.

He added that the pitch was not excessively spin-friendly, pointing to Simon Harmer’s spell where many balls went straight rather than turning sharply.

Gavaskar stressed that India’s batters lacked application and patience.

“It wasn’t a dangerous turning track. Players needed to bat like it was a Test match, not approach it like a 50-over or T20 game where they panic after a few dot balls. With India’s batting line-up, this target should have been chased down with at least five wickets in hand,” he said.

He further emphasized that the pitch behaved normally for a Day 3 surface, noting that neither Keshav Maharaj nor India’s own spinners—Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel—extracted extreme turn.

“People are calling it a spinning pitch, but it wasn’t vicious at all. Poor technique and poor temperament cost us,” Gavaskar said.

He also pointed to South Africa captain Temba Bavuma’s gritty half-century—the only fifty of the match across both teams—as an example of how disciplined batting could succeed.

“Bavuma showed real character, technique, and focus. His innings should have been fresh in the Indian batters’ minds,” Gavaskar concluded.

News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.