Team India suffered an embarrassing 30-run defeat at the hands of South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday (November 16).

The Test match was over inside three days as pitch deteriorated quickly and batters from both sides found it difficult to deal with spinners.

Only Proteas skipper Temba Bavuma managed to register a 40-plus score in the game, finishing unbeaten on 55 in the third innings.

The hosts squandered advantage after gaining a handy 30-run lead in the first innings as South Africa set a target of 124. During the chase, India’s innings folded for a paltry 93, conceding an unassailable 1-0 lead to the visitors in the two-match series.

After the outcome, Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly didn’t mince his words as he offered a sharp critique of the Indian team management's pitch philosophy under head coach Gautam Gambhir.

“Play on good wickets. I hope Gautam Gambhir is listening. I have got a lot of time for him. A lot of regard. He is a competitor. He has done well for India as a coach. But he must play on good wickets. Because he has got Bumrah, he has got Siraj, he has got Shami, he has got Kuldeep, he has got Jadeja,” Ganguly said in an exclusive chat with NDTV.

“He needs to take the wicket out of the game. Because if his batsmen are not putting up 350–400, he will not win Test matches. That's the reason they won in England — because his batsmen put runs up on the board. He must play on good wickets. And trust his people. And win Test matches in 5 days. Not in 3 days,” the former India captain added.

After 16 wickets fell on Day 2 of the Kolkata Test, Ganguly came to the defence of the Eden Gardens curator, citing that this is what the Indian camp wanted.

“The pitch is what the Indian camp wanted. This is what happens when you don’t water the pitch for four days. Curator Sujan Mukherjee can’t be blamed," Ganguly told News18 Bangla on Saturday.

In fact, Gambhir took ownership after the loss, admitting that the team management had asked for a spin-friendly surface 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 said in the post-match presser.

“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 defense, 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, it's definitely a wicket where you can score. I think the inconsistent bounce came into it a lot, both for seamers and spinners,” the coach added.

When asked about the nature of the pitch the Indian team wanted for the Test, Gambhir responded with a sharp retort.

"This is exactly the pitch. And I feel that, as I just mentioned before, the curator was very, very helpful. And this is exactly what we wanted, and this is exactly what we got. When you don't play well, this is what happens,” he remarked.

The second Test is scheduled to be played at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from November 22-26.