India’s shock 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens triggered strong reactions from former captain Sourav Ganguly and opener Ajinkya Rahane, both of whom questioned the pitch conditions and India’s approach on a surface that lasted barely three days.
Ganguly: “Don’t turn Test cricket into a lottery”
Never one to mince words, Ganguly was blunt in his assessment of the pitch that saw India bowled out for 93 while chasing a modest 124.
You can’t play on this kind of a lottery wicket. In India, you must prepare a good pitch, a Test match should go five days.
Ganguly backed head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying the team had followed standard preparation guidelines.
I am fond of Gambhir. I liked him a lot and I have faith in him. The way he performed as a coach in England was great. According to his instructions we prepared wickets the way every venue normally does. But don’t play on pitches like this. Don’t put yourself under unnecessary pressure.
He also questioned the logic of offering a surface so heavily tilted towards spin when India have a world-class pace attack.
India have good pacers, Bumrah, Siraj… why are we forgetting Shami? He should be in the team. He’s a match-winner. You don’t need only spinner-friendly surfaces.
Calling Gill’s absence a key moment in the match, Ganguly added: “Gill’s absence cost India. If he had played, we would’ve been in the driver’s seat.”
Rahane: “African batters seized the morning and those runs hurt us”
Opener Ajinkya Rahane agreed that the pitch played a decisive role but credited South Africa for using the conditions better.
You will get these kinds of pitches in Indian conditions, and the South African batters grabbed the opportunity.
“They batted really well on the third morning. They took their chances in the first half, scored 40–50 quick runs, that was part of their strategy. Those runs cost us.”
Rahane noted that the fourth innings became a trial by survival rather than skill.
It was difficult to bat on this pitch in the fourth innings.
He also pointed to a growing trend in world cricket: “Nowadays, because of the WTC, everyone is making host-friendly pitches.”
On India’s batting collapse, Rahane was blunt: “Indian batsmen made mistakes. Axar had to play his shots from the beginning, same with Pant. When you are chasing a small target, you need to show attacking intent to release pressure. Instead, I saw our batters absorbing pressure.”
