Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
The legendary Sunil Gavaskar has come out in support of India head coach Gautam Gambhir following his comments defending the pitch that was used for the recently concluded first Test between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The pitch came under the scanner as India suffered a 30-run defeat in the Test match after failing to chase a target of 124 runs in their second innings.
Several former cricketers and experts slammed the pitch as 'underprepared' after the ball turned sharply from Day 1. There was also an uneven, unpredictable bounce on the surface, making it difficult for the batters to score. However, Gambhir insisted the pitch was exactly what the Indian team management wanted, questioning the Indian batters' poor defensive game and lack of temperament after the defeat.
Gavaskar has backed Gambhir's claims, stating that there was nothing wrong with the pitch and India's loss was down to the batters' poor technique and temperament. The Test match at the Eden Gardens ended in two and a half days after a staggering 28 wickets fell inside just 8 sessions.
With Shubman Gill out due to a neck injury, Indian batters struggled in the 124-run chase in their second innings on Day 3 and were bowled out for a paltry 93 as South Africa secured a Test victory in India after 15 years. Gavaskar insisted 124 was a chaseable total as he explained how South Africa spinners didn't rely heavily on turn, but variations to trouble the Indian batters.
"Totally agree with Gautam Gambhir. 124 was chaseable on this pitch. There was no question about it," Gavaskar was quoted as saying by India Today on Monday.
"A lot of people are talking about what the pitch was doing, but if you had a look at what Simon Harmer was doing in an over, how many of his deliveries were turning? He was mixing it up really well. He bowled straight and got the odd one to turn," he added.
Questioning the Indian batters' lack of application and poor temperament, Gavaskar argued it was not a T20, but a Test match where the batters needed to spend time in the middle and avoid playing big shots. Washington Sundar and Axar Patel were the only batters who looked in control during India's 124-run chase in their second innings.
Sundar top-scored with 31 off 92 balls, while Axar produced a late burst of 17-ball 26, however, the duo failed to take the team over the line. Disagreeing that the pitch has a vicious turn on offer, Gavaskar said 124 should have been chased with the kind of batting line-up India had.
"So, it was not a vicious turning pitch. It was a pitch on which you needed to bat as if you were playing a five-day Test, not a 50-over match or a Twenty20 where, after three dot balls, you try to play a break-out-of-jail shot. That’s the issue. One hundred and twenty-four should have been chased with at least five wickets in hand with the kind of batting line-up India had," said Gavaskar.
"I fully agree with Gautam Gambhir that there was nothing wrong with the pitch. The odd ball turned — on Day 3, that’s normal. How many of Maharaj’s deliveries turned? How many of Jadeja’s or Axar’s turned? People are calling it a spinning pitch. It was nothing vicious. Poor technique and poor temperament have landed us in this situation," he added.
With their thumping victory in the first Test, South Africa have gone 1-0 up in the two-match Test series. The visitors will be aiming to pull off their first Test series victory in India since 1999 when they lock horns with the hosts in the 2nd Test at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. The 2nd Test is set to get underway on Saturday, November 22. Meanwhile, India will be looking to bounce back and level the series in the 2nd Test.
