Kolkata. After India’s humiliating defeat in the Kolkata Test against South Africa, there’s been a controversy surrounding the pitch.
Some are criticizing the pitch, some the curator. But now legend Sunil Gavaskar has clearly stated , there was no demon in the pitch, brother.
Gavaskar fully supported Gambhir
Gavaskar 100% agreed with coach Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir had said that there were no demons in the pitch, but rather the batsmen played poorly. Gavaskar reiterated the same point.
He told India Today, “Totally agree with Gautam Gambhir. 124 was chaseable on this pitch. There was no question about it.”
He further explained that the ball wasn’t turning much even in spinner Simon Harmer’s over. A little bit of turn was normal, too.
Batsmen’s technique and patience exposed
Gavaskar directly reprimanded our batsmen. Said,
“So, it was not a vicious turning pitch. It was a pitch on which you needed to bat as if you were playing a five-day Test, not a 50-over match or a Twenty20 where, after three dot balls, you try to play a break-out-of-jail shot. That’s the issue. One hundred and twenty-four should have been chased with at least five wickets in hand with the kind of batting line-up India had.”
He praised Temba Bavuma who was the only one in both the teams to score a half-century.
Gavaskar said, “The Indian batsmen had the example of Temba Bavuma. You may forget what happened the previous day, but Bavuma had played an innings of exceptional character just hours earlier. He batted with real temperament, technique, and dedication. That should at least have been at the back of their minds.”
In the first test, South Africa defeated India by 30 runs. While chasing the target of 124 runs, the entire team collapsed at 93. India trail the series 0-1, with the next match starting soon.
