Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara strongly disagreed with Gautam Gambhir’s view on the Eden Gardens pitch after India suffered a 30-run loss to South Africa in the first Test on Sunday.
After the end of the game, which lasted two and a half days, Gambhir refused to blame the curator for preparing a fast-deteriorating pitch and instead highlighted the batters’ inability to play on challenging surfaces.
Pujara, however, did not agree with Gambhir’s point.
“I don’t quite agree with this point because, given the kind of pitch it was, you can’t just blame the batters,” Pujara told Star Sports. “If you want to play on such surfaces, your preparation has to be different. I don’t think the Indian team was fully prepared, even though Gauti bhai was saying that this is the kind of wicket they wanted. This pitch was not easy for batting, that’s a fact.”
India were bowled out for just 93 while chasing only 124. This was the first time they had been dismissed for under 100 in the fourth innings at home.
A veteran of over 100 Tests, Pujara believes that if the Indian team wants spin-friendly pitches, the batters must improve their preparation. “The expectation was that the pitch would be a bit decent, there would be turn, but batting would still be possible. But that didn’t happen. In my opinion, if the Indian team wants turning pitches where the bowlers get assistance right from the first ball, then the batters need to change the way they prepare,” he said.
The second Test in Guwahati, starting on November 22, becomes important for the Indian team. A win would level the two-match series.
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