Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh said he was very unhappy with the pitch used for the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata. He said the pitch made a “mockery” of Test cricket and that it wasn’t about skill anymore. He also said even great players like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli would have found it difficult to score runs on such a surface.
'Rest in Peace, Test cricket': Harbhajan Singh
India were bundled out for 189 after South Africa had made 159 in the first innings. But the Proteas then struggled badly against spin, especially against Ravindra Jadeja, and slipped to 93/7, leading by only 63 runs. By the end of the second day, the match was almost decided in India’s favour.
"Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan said, "I was so happy that people had gathered there to watch Test cricket. But the way the pitch behaved, South Africa won the toss and were all out for 159. After that, I expected India to play better, but India also did not bat that well. India was all out for 189. A 30-run lead looked like a 300-run lead in the match, and now South Africa is with them at 93. It has been two days, and in two days, the result looks clear, which way the game is going. Rest in Peace, Test cricket."
Harbhajan Singh slams the pitch used for India vs South Africa 1st Test
Harbhajan, who was a part of India's ODI World Cup 2011 squad, also pointed out how fans and the cricketing fraternity as a whole lauded both India and England for their performances in a 2-2 draw in the five Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 where all matches ended on the last day and the pitches provided both batters and bowlers with an equal share of advantage.
"Recently, India played Test cricket in England. They both played brilliantly. Everyone lauded them. The kind of pitches they played on and the way they fought and won matches there, it shows how good Test cricket is. This is Test cricket. But here, the pitch is so terrible that no matter where you bowl, the batter does not know about its spin and does not know what to do. No matter how good your technique is, whether it is the great Tendulkar or Virat, I do not think they would have survived on such a surface because one delivery would fly out of nowhere, while the other would stay low and spin. So, it is not about ability anymore. It is just the pitch that is working. And this has been happening recently for years. We had never seen such conditions before. In my view, it is not going right; it is pathetic and utter nonsense. A mockery has been made out of Test cricket," he added.
India vs South Africa 1st Test
Coming back to the opener Test, India captain Shubman Gill has been ruled out of the first Test against South Africa after getting a neck spasm and on day 3, after bundling out South Africa, India were seen struggling as they lost four wickets before tea, and South Africa are eyeing a comeback to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test match series.