Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared his thoughts on the much-debated Eden Gardens pitch used for the first Test against South Africa. India failed to take control on their home ground and slipped to a 30-run defeat while chasing 124 on Day 3.
No Indian batter could score a fifty in either innings, as South Africa’s off-spinner Simon Harmer dominated with eight wickets and earned the Player of the Match award. The surface offered uneven bounce and early turn, giving batters very little time or freedom to adjust, settle, or build partnerships.
The pitch immediately sparked discussions, with fingers pointed at both the curator and the team management, who were accused of not learning from the 0-3 series loss to New Zealand in 2024. Head coach Gautam Gambhir defended the curator and insisted the surface wasn’t a rank turner.
Ashwin Says Pitch Wasn’t A Turner But Fell Below Expected Test Standards
Ravichandran Ashwin agreed that the pitch wasn’t a typical turner, but maintained that it was below the standard expected for Test cricket.
“I want to clear one thing up, this (pitch) is not a turner. It is not a turner, but a bad wicket. Turner is like a red soil wicket in Mumbai that has even spin and bounce. In India, it is difficult to make turners everywhere. The Eastern part of the country is not good for ideal turning wickets. The problem with such wickets is that the batters cannot trust the bounce, nor can they trust the pace, and play shots,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“I want to take my hat off to Temba Bavuma, not for scoring a fifty, but because he showed that this pitch does not have as many demons in it. So, once again, this pitch was not a turner, it was just an underprepared, and not an ideal wicket,” he added.
The South African captain played the match-changing innings, scoring an unbeaten 55 off 136 balls, which lifted his side from a shaky 91-7 in their second innings.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.