India succumbed to a shocking 30-run defeat inside three days at Eden Gardens.
India's batting collapsed like nine pins, with no one reaching the 50-run mark across two innings. While the hosts were bowled out for 189 in their first innings, they failed to chase a target of 124 on a crumbling surface, falling 30 runs short.
Amid wave of criticism, Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee defended himself, saying that he knows how to prepare a proper Test pitch and he had simply followed instructions of the Indian team management.
Meanwhile, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has opined that teams should not attempt to influence curators or dictate surface conditions. He believes pitch preparation must remain the curator’s sole responsibility.
“Well, you know what happens in the IPL? No IPL franchise can influence a curator to prepare any specific kind of pitch. The curator works independently. If he happens to be a die-hard fan of the home franchise, he might prepare a surface that suits their strengths — but that’s entirely his call,” Gavaskar said in an exclusive chat with India Today.
“It’s always best to leave the curator alone because he knows his job better than anyone else. When you start asking him to mix things up or prepare a pitch a certain way, it can easily backfire. That is exactly what you want to avoid,” he added.
Speaking to India Today, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly also came to the defence of Eden curator, citing that this is what the home team wanted.
Ganguly further stated that the Indian team management should back themselves on sporting pitches.
"Yes, that is true — instructions were given, and I’ll just repeat what I said earlier. I am very fond of Gautam; he has done well for India in England, in ODIs, in T20 cricket. We will continue for a while, but we must play on good pitches. He must have faith in Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami. Spinners, who win Test matches for them. Win Test matches in five days, not three days,” Ganguly said.
Addressing the media after India’s defeat in Kolkata, India head coach Gautam Gambhir himself admitted that the team management had asked for a spin-friendly strip for the series opener against South Africa.
"The majority of wickets went to the seamers. No, the point is that you should be able to know how to play a turn. And this is what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive,” Gambhir told reporters.
With this defeat, India conceded an unassailable 1-0 lead to Proteas in the two-match series. The home team will be keen to level the series when they face South Africa in the second Test, starting on November 22 in Guwahati.