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Sourav Ganguly defended the Eden Gardens pitch after India and South Africa struggled, with Morne Morkel surprised by its rapid deterioration in the primary Test of the series.
Sourav Ganguly defended the Eden Gardens pitch (PTI)
Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly on Saturday got here to the defence of the crumbling Eden Gardens pitch getting used in the primary Test of the two-match series between India and South Africa.
After India was dismissed for 189 in response to South Africa’s first innings total of 159, the Proteas struggled against the spin, particularly Ravindra Jadeja’s deliveries, sinking to 93/7 with a lead of just 63 runs.
India vs South Africa: 1st Test, Day 3 – Live Rating
“The pitch is what the Indian camp wanted. That is what happens once you don’t water the pitch for 4 days. Curator Sujan Mukherjee can’t be blamed,” Sourav Ganguly told News18 Bangla.
That is after the CAB president himself had claimed earlier within the week that Gautam Gambhir and the Indian team management had not requested a rank turner.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir, who arrived late on Sunday with the team members from the white-ball series in Australia, inspected the Eden pitch on Monday morning together with batting coach Sitanshu Kotak.
Ganguly also inspected the wicket later within the evening, after which the whole square was covered to guard it from dew or any possible showers.
“They haven’t asked for it yet, so I can’t answer that query. It looks like a excellent one,” Ganguly had told PTI on Monday when asked if the Indian team management had requested a turning wicket.
India Coach ‘Surprised’
On Saturday, India bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted that his side was “surprised” by how quickly the Eden Gardens surface “deteriorated” after a dramatic second day through which 15 wickets fell, shifting the opening Test sharply in India’s favour.
Morkel said the team had not expected such rapid wear and tear on the pitch.
“Yeah, look, I mean, to be honest with you, even we didn’t expect a wicket to deteriorate so quickly… all of us thought once we watched that first couple of hours that it was an excellent wicket, so it did deteriorate quite quickly, which was unexpected,” he said after the second day’s play.
This unpredictability is what makes playing in India difficult, he added.
“That’s the wonder sometimes of playing within the subcontinent… you might want to find a way to adapt and react to conditions quite quickly and that’s the kind of challenge that we’re facing here in the mean time.”
(With inputs from Eeron Roy Barman and Agencies)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
Kolkata [Calcutta], India, India
November 16, 2025, 10:14 IST
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