India's head coach Gautam Gambhir braved the tough questions fired at him, including the Eden Gardens pitch, at the post-match press conference after team's embarrassing defeat in the first Test against South Africa. Shubman Gill's India failed to chase down a lowly target of 124 runs and crashed to a 30-run humiliation in the series opener at the tough Eden Gardens pitch on November 16.
There were no demons in the wicket: Gautam Gambhir after India's painful defeat in 1st Test
Gambhir was quick to quash all the discussion around the unpredictablity of the pitch provided and firmly stated that the surface was exactly how the team had requested and wanted for the match.
“This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. 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 said at the post-match presentation.
Despite the challenges faced by batters from both teams, with only Temba Bavuma managing to score a gritty half-century, Gambhir insisted that the pitch was not to blame. He dismissed suggestions that the wicket was unplayable, stating that it did not possess any demons and was, in fact, perfectly playable.
“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, majority of wickets were taken by seamers. We always talk about how the wicket is behaving you’ll see, in the 40 wickets, the majority have been taken by seamers," he added.
If you have the temperament, you can definitely score runs: Gambhir
Team India entered the series opener as the outright favorites, aiming to capitalise on a surface at Eden Gardens that offered plenty of assistance to both pacers and spinners. But they didn't know what's kept in store for them, a defeat which will keep pestering them for a long time. Without putting it all on the pitch, Gambhir openly admitted the humiliating defeat was purely attributable to a lack of application from the players. The early visibility of odd bounce and lateral movement on the pitch led many, including former cricketers, pundits, and fans, to question India's strategy in requesting such a wicket. While some criticised the curator, Sujan Mukherjee, Gambhir defended him, stating that the curator was very helpful in preparing the specific kind of wicket that the Indian team had demanded.
"The majority of wickets went to the seamers. No, the point is that you should be able to know how to play turn. And this is what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive. I still believe that irrespective of how the wicket was, 123 (124) was chaseable. And I felt that if you are willing to put your head down and if you have a solid defence, if you have the temperament, you can definitely score runs. Yes, it might not be a wicket that 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's a wicket where you can score. I think the inconsistent bounce came into it a lot, both for seamers and spinners," Gambhir concluded.
India will look to bounce back in the second match which is slated to be played from November 22 at the Barsapara stadium, Assam.