Gautam Gambhir told to ‘go back to classic pitches when Virat Kohli was captain' after Kolkata debacle: ‘Didn’t learn…'
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer had an advice in store for Gautam Gambhir after the hosts lost the Kolkata Test against South Africa by 30 runs.
Gautam Gambhir, the India head coach, might have shown his support towards the Kolkata pitch, but the track continues to come under fire from various corners. The first Test between India and South Africa concluded in just 2.5 days and eight sessions as the hosts went down by 30 runs, giving the Proteas a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. India, who were without Shubman Gill, failed to chase the target of 124 and folded up for a paltry 93 in the fourth and final innings as Simon Harmer claimed four wickets.
Midway through Day 3, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president, Sourav Ganguly, set the record straight, revealing that the pitch had not been watered for four days on the Indian team's behest, as they wanted the track to offer assistance for the spinners. The claim was later confirmed by Gambhir, who told reporters that the pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee was supportive as he prepared the track exactly to the liking of the hosts.
However, several pundits, including Michael Vaughan, Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn, and Cheteshwar Pujara, lambasted the track, saying India should have opted for a sporting track, as the hosts are a better side than the Proteas.
Now, former India batter Wasim Jaffer has also weighed in on the issue, advising the current management to return to the pitches that were used under Virat Kohli's captaincy from 2016 to 2020.
Also Read: Gautam Gambhir fires up in Eden pitch controversy; tears into India’s batters for defeat: 'There were no demons'
“Looks like we haven’t learned our lesson from NZ series loss. The gap between our spinners and opposition spinners reduces on pitches like this. We need to go back to classic Indian pitches, like the ones in 2016-17 season when Virat was captain and Eng and NZ toured. #INDvSA,” Jaffer wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Ever since Gambhir took over as the head coach, India's Test record has left much to be desired. The team has lost four of their last six Tests at home, and they are staring down the barrel, running the risk of losing yet another home Test series.
India are yet to defeat any SENA country in Tests under Gambhir's tenure. New Zealand whitewashed India while the latter lost against Australia. England and India played out a 2-2 draw in the five-match series, and now the side cannot win against South Africa after the visitors gained a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
What did Gambhir say?
Gambhir fronted to the media after India's shocking loss in Kolkata, and it was then that he revealed that the pitch was exactly to his team's liking and the blame lies with his batters after being unable to chase down the target of 124.
"This is what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. There were no demons or not unplayable. Axar, Temba, Washington made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, majority wickets were taken by seamers," Gambhir said.
India and South Africa will now square off in the second Test at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati, beginning Saturday, November 22.
