India's spin wizard Anil Kumble and South Africa's menacing pacer Dale Steyn were left scratching their heads over head coach Gautam Gambhir's comments on Eden Gardens pitch where only one batter scored a fifty in series opener. In the post-match press conference, Gambhir said that the pitch had no demons in it. He thanked the pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee for preparing a track that he had asked for and blamed batters for lack of application.
"It was not an unplayable wicket, there were no demons," Gambhir said. "This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. The curator was very, very helpful and supportive. This is exactly what we wanted, and this is exactly what we got. When you don't play well, this is what happens. Yes, it might not be a wicket which is going to be very flamboyant where you can play those big shots. But if you are willing to put your head down, definitely it is a wicket where you can score."
Kumble never saw a pitch like this in Kolkata in his career
Kumble who is India's highest wicket-taker in Tests said that he never saw the pitch at Eden Gardens behave like it did in the first Test. Kumble admitted that he is confused by Gambhir's comments.
"If you look back at the legacy of Eden Gardens, there have been so many Test matches that have been played. I’ve been coming here since I was an Under-19 kid and I’ve never had a pitch that behaved like this over the three days in a Test match,” Kumble said on JioHotstar after the match.
“I did listen to what Gautam said, he did mention about the fact that the team wanted something like this. Then I’m a bit confused because I know this is a young side.”
Steyn says batters didn’t have options to score
Steyn was of similar opinion and said that it was every tough for batters to tackle spin on a pitch where it turned ferociously. He feels that on a pitch like this defense is the ultimate weapon.
“He said there weren’t demons in the pitch? I certainly saw quite a lot,” Steyn, who was part of the same panel, said. “You know, as Anil was saying, some balls are spinning two feet past the bat, hitting the keeper on the shoulder. The next one is skidding through, hitting the pad, and you’re out. That’s pretty tough to bat on. When batters don’t have the option to score runs, the application of defense becomes the biggest key. That itself means batting is really difficult."
Team India sweats over Gill’s well-being
Meanwhile, Indian camp is uncertain over captain Shubman Gill’s return for the second Test. Gill suffered a neck injury in the first innings and did not walk out to bat in the run chase as he was hospitalised. On November 16, he was discharged from the hospital but his participation in the second Test remains doubtful.