After India lost their first Test against South Africa, the Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has blamed the players for the defeat in the match held in Eden Gardens saying that it was the application on the field that cost them the series opener in Kolkata.
The Eden Gardens pitch started to behave erratically quite early, making Temba Bavuma’s half-century the highest score across four innings. Speaking at the post-match press conference, Gambhir denied calling the surface ‘unplayable’, saying there were no demons in it. However, great cricketers like Anil Kumble, Dale Steyn, and Ravichandran Ashwin weren’t in agreement.
Head coach Gautam Gambhir defends Eden Gardens pitch following India's 30-run loss to South Africa in the first Test.
— ICC (@ICC) November 17, 2025
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Former Cricketer’s take after Gambhir’s Pitch statement
“If you look back at the legacy of Eden Gardens, there have been so many Test matches that have been played. I’ve been coming here since I was an Under-19 kid, and I’ve never had a pitch that behaved like this over the three days in a Test match,” Kumble said on JioHotstar after the match. “I did listen to what Gautam said, he did mention the fact that the team wanted something like this. Then I’m a bit confused because I know this is a young side.”
“He said there weren’t demons on the pitch? I certainly saw quite a lot,” Steyn, who was part of the same panel, said. “You know, as Anil was saying, some balls are spinning two feet past the bat, hitting the keeper on the shoulder. The next one is skidding through, hitting the pad, and you’re out. That’s pretty tough to bat on. When batters don’t have the option to score runs, the application of defence becomes the biggest key. That itself means batting is really difficult.”
“If someone calls this Eden Gardens pitch a turner, I will not agree with them one bit. It was proper wicket preparation that went awry. The point I agree with is that it was quite dangerous. But my view is, give a turner. But there are only a few surfaces to give a turner. You cannot give a turner in Eden Gardens. If you try to give a turner there, the wicket will turn like this,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
What Happened In the 1st IND Vs SA Test match
Plenty of drama unfolded in the first three days of the India vs South Africa Test in Kolkata. India began well when a five-wicket haul from Jasprit Bumrah bowled South Africa out for just 159 on Day 1. From there, however, it turned into a match of collapses. India managed to dominate the first-innings and took a lead but their batting was weakened due to a neck injury of Indian skipper Shubman Gill.
On Day 2 and Day 3 of the match, Jadeja was able to push South Africa to 93/7 by taking four wickets before the visitors fought back and set a 124-run target. India collapsed to 93 all out as South Africa won by 30 runs, their first victory in India since 2010.
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