The Eden Gardens pitch in Kolkata, used for the first India–South Africa Test in November that concluded inside three days, has received a “satisfactory” rating from International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Richie Richardson.
According to ESPNCricinfo, the rating means the iconic venue will avoid any sanctions from the ICC, despite widespread criticism from fans and experts who felt the pitch failed to produce engaging Test cricket. India’s defeat in the match was their first Test loss at Eden Gardens in 13 years.
Under the ICC’s four-tier pitch-rating system, “satisfactory” is placed at level two, between “very good” and “unsatisfactory”. The lowest possible rating is “unfit”. Pitch reports for Tests that conclude within two to four days are closely scrutinised. Recently, the surface used for the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) between Australia and England received an “unsatisfactory” rating along with a demerit point, after the match ended in just two days with no half-centuries scored across four innings and all 36 wickets falling to pacers.
During the Kolkata Test, uneven bounce was evident from the outset, with some deliveries rising sharply while others stayed dangerously low. As the match progressed, spinners were able to extract increasing turn. The surface offered assistance to both pacers and spinners, with South Africa’s Marco Jansen taking three key wickets while defending 124 runs, and Simon Harmer claiming four wickets in each innings.
Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul was another highlight of the match. No team crossed the 200-run mark in either innings, and India were bowled out for just 93 despite Axar Patel’s counter-attacking 26 off 17 balls, which included a four and two sixes. India captain Shubman Gill was unavailable for the remainder of the match after suffering a neck injury shortly after beginning his first-innings knock.
Amid the criticism, head coach Gautam Gambhir defended the pitch in his post-match press conference, saying, “This was exactly the pitch we were looking for.”
The Guwahati pitch that followed was more balanced, but South Africa were equally improved, as the Proteas handed India their second successive home Test series defeat, following a 0–3 loss to New Zealand last year.
(ANI)
