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    STUMP VISION                                                      NOVEMBER 28, 2025        |  The Indian Eye 41

                                                           EDEN GARDENS

                     India’s Defeat Triggers Fierce Row Over

             Pitch, Selection and Coach Gautam Gambhir

               India’s first Test defeat at Eden Gardens in 13 years has sparked a storm of criticism over the
             pitch, player preparedness and head coach Gautam Gambhir’s approach, with former cricketers

                      questioning the team’s strategy even as the coaching staff closed ranks around him

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            dian camp. Batting coach Sitanshu
                                                                                                                  Kotak blasted critics for targeting the
            Kolkata
                                                                                                                  head coach alone.
                     hen South Africa sealed                                                                          “People are only talking about
                     a 31-run win over India in                                                                   Gautam Gambhir. Nobody is men-
            WKolkata  —  their  first  Test                                                                       tioning what the batters did or even
            victory on Indian soil since 2010 —                                                                   what the batting coach could have
            the cricketing fallout was immediate                                                                  done better. Maybe some people
            and intense. The loss, which saw In-                                                                  have their individual agendas,” Ko-
            dia fall short of a modest 124-run tar-                                                               tak said in Guwahati before the sec-
            get, was their fourth home Test defeat                                                                ond Test.
            to a SENA side in the past year. But                                                                      Kotak revealed that Gambhir
            beyond the result, it was the nature of                                                               deliberately absorbed blame to
            the collapse and the debate over the                                                                  shield the pitch curator, insisting that
            Eden Gardens pitch that ignited a fu-                                                                 preparing  turning  surfaces  was  part
            rious national conversation.                                                                          of India’s broader home strategy —
                Former Australian wicketkeep-                                                                     just as other teams use conditions to
            er Brad Haddin was among the first                                                                    their advantage.
            to take aim. Speaking on the Willow                                                                       “When we play in India, we rely
            Talk podcast, he questioned India’s                                                                   on spin. We expect matches to last
            approach to doctoring “excessively                                                                    four  to  four-and-a-half  days.  Fast
            spin-friendly surfaces” that, he ar-                                                                  bowlers  remain  in  the  game  early.
            gued, were hurting the home side                                                                      That’s normal,” he said.
            more than the opposition.                                                                                 Gambhir himself offered a mea-
                “I just think they are leaving too                                                                sured explanation, calling the defeat
            much to chance,” Haddin said. “In-                                                                    a collective failure and stressing that
            dia play their best cricket when they                                                                 if India wanted to play on such pitch-
            put big totals on the board and then                                                                  es, they had to be technically and
            make the opposition claustrophobic.   South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj and Ryan Rickelton celebrate the wicket of India’s Mohammed   mentally equipped.
            Their spinners are better than any-       Siraj, during day 3 of the 1st test match, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata (ANI)  “If we want to play at home on
            one else on those surfaces, but their                                                                 such wickets, where it’s not easy to
            batters are not that good players of                                                                  play big shots but you have to get
            spin on surfaces like that.”      wicket... Those who defended well   preparing.                      used to grafting, then we have to im-
                Haddin  contrasted  India’s  cur-  scored runs. This is exactly what we   “On turning tracks, you need dif-  prove our skill and temperament,”
            rent strategy with the Virat Kohli era,   wanted,” Gambhir said, brushing off   ferent shot selection — more sweeps,   Gambhir said.
            pointing out that Kohli’s teams built   any suggestion that the Eden surface   more  positive intent. Our batters   India’s inability to chase 124 —
            pressure through big first-innings to-  was responsible for India’s collapse.  must prepare according to these spin   the second-lowest target they have
            tals rather than low-scoring turning   But inside India’s own cricket-  conditions instead of expecting usu-  ever failed to reach in Test history —
            traps.                            ing fraternity, dissent rose quickly.   al batting-friendly surfaces,” Pujara   has now placed the team’s spin-bat-
                “They batted long and put score-  Cheteshwar Pujara, speaking on   added.                         ting ability under a harsh spotlight.
            board pressure. Now they are taking   JioStar, openly disagreed with Gam-  The  statistics  support his  con-  And with a short turnaround before
            their world-class batters out of the   bhir’s reading of the surface.  cern. Between 2016 and 2019, In-  the second Test in Guwahati, ques-
            game,” he said.                       “This surface was clearly tough   dian batters averaged 53.3 at home   tions remain over whether the pitch
                The sting in Haddin’s critique   to bat on. No one except Temba   against spin. Since 2020, that number   debate and coaching criticism will
            landed squarely on head coach Gau-  Bavuma  managed  to  cross  fifty.  In-  has fallen sharply to 33.8. The Eden   distract or galvanise the squad.
            tam Gambhir, who defended the     dian batsmen looked underprepared   Gardens collapse — where India lost   What is clear is that India’s Eden
            pitch after the match, saying there   for playing on such turning tracks,”   20 wickets for 217 runs — has now   Gardens defeat has reopened old fis-
            were “no demons” and insisting that   Pujara said.                  become the starkest example of the   sures about pitch philosophy, home
            India got exactly the surface they had   He argued that India’s batting   decline.                    advantage, and the fine line between
            asked for.                        approach had not evolved with the     Amid the debate, Gambhir      tailoring conditions and sabotaging
                “There was no demon in this   conditions they were deliberately   found support from within the In-  one’s own strengths.

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