IND vs SA: Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill unhappy with Eden Gardens pitch for first test- Reports

Gautam Gambhir had a long chat with Eden Gardens pitch curator ahead of the IND vs SA first test.

Indian Cricket Team and South Africa Cricket Team are all set to square off in the two-match series, starting on November 14 with the opening game at Eden Gardens Stadium, Kolkata. As per a report in PTI, the Indian team management are not happy with the Eden Gardens pitch for the first test.

The reports suggested that the pitch appeared brown with light grass patches and is unlikely to change much during the course of the match. On Tuesday, November 11, India head coach Gautam Gambhir, test captain Shubman Gill, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling coach Morne Morkel inspected the pitch at Eden Gardens following which, the head coach had a long chat with pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee.

Earlier, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Sourav Ganguly had informed that India did not ask for a rank turner for the first game against South Africa. The stadium has hosted two matches in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2025-26 so far. In both matches, the pitch was slow and offered little assistance to pacers. The stadium will host a test match after six years, having last hosted a pink-ball test between India and Bangladesh in 2019.

The first IND vs SA test to offer good bounce- Reports

According to a report by PTI, the Eden Gardens pitch will offer a good bounce and is expected to slow down by the third day. Pitch curator Mukherjee said that it will give equal support to batters and bowlers.

“It’s good to be a good sporting wicket with help for both batters and bowlers. There will be assistance on offer for the spinners as well, and that can happen early as well,” Mukherjee told PTI.

Meanwhile, India have made two changes to their squad for the test series against South Africa, dropping N Jagadeesan and Prasidh Krishna. Wicket-keeper and vice-captain Rishabh Pant and pacer Akash Deep have made a comeback into the test team.

Temba Bavuma, who missed the previous test series against Pakistan, will be back to captain South Africa in the test series against India. After the opening game at Eden Gardens, both sides will clash in the second test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati from November 22 to 26.

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