The Eden Gardens pitch has become the centre of controversy for making life tough at the crease for batters. Even before India lost the Test by 30 runs, it was criticised for not providing a balance between bat and ball. Days after the defeat, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly distanced himself from the preparation of the pitch for first Test of the series against South Africa. Ganguly said that the curators from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came and took over the preparations instead of Eden Gardens’ designated curator Sujan Mukherjee.
"No, no, I don't get involved at all. Curators from the BCCI come and take over the wickets four days before the Test match. We have our own curator (Sujan Mukherjee) as well, who's done exceptionally well for a long time. The requests are made, and you keep the requests. That's what it is," Ganguly said in an exclusive interaction with India Today when asked about whether he gave his inputs on the pitch.
Ganguly’s advice to Gambhir after Eden Gardens pitch fiasco
Ganguly admitted that the conditions were not ideal for batters and they deserved to play on a better track. He advised head coach Gautam Gambhir and team management to get better tracks prepared compared to the one at Eden Gardens.
"It was not the greatest, I'll have to completely admit, and I think the top-order batting, the middle-order batting, you know, deserves a better cricketing surface. It was a full house at Eden Gardens for those three days, and I completely believe that Gautam Gambhir and his team in India must play on much better wickets than what they played at Eden Gardens," he said.
After the defeat, Gambhir defended the curator and said that he was very supportive.
Ahead of the second Test of the series in Guwahati, Ganguly advised Gambhir not to look at Washington Sundar as designated no.3 batter. He doesn’t feel there is a need for four spinners in the lineup. Also, he believes the team will do better on flatter wickets as they proved on England soil.