Former India captain and the current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly clarified that BCCI-appointed curators, not the state association, took control of the Eden Gardens pitch four days before the India–South Africa Test match that ended inside three days.
The match, which saw India fail to chase 124 in the fourth innings, drew criticism for the challenging surface that offered sharp turn and unpredictable bounce from the opening session. Both batting line-ups struggled, with runs coming at a premium throughout the game. South Africa captain Temba Bavuma was the only batter to get a half-century in the Test match.
Ganguly, a former BCCI president, said the CAB had no direct role in preparing the final surface once the BCCI team took over.
“No, no, I don’t get involved at all,” he told India Today when asked whether he was consulted by the Indian team management before preparing the pitch. “Curators from the BCCI come and take over the wickets four days before the Test match. We have our own curator (Sujan Mukherjee) as well, who’s done exceptionally well for a long time. The requests are made, and you keep the requests. That’s what it is.”
The former captain acknowledged the pitch “was not the greatest” and reiterated that India should back its quality by playing on better, more balanced surfaces at home. He said strong batting performances overseas — including on good wickets in England, where India drew the recent series — showed the team’s capability when conditions are fair and consistent.
“It was not the greatest, I'll have to completely admit, and I think the top-order batting, the middle-order batting, you know, deserves a better cricketing surface. It was a full house at Eden Gardens for those three days, and I completely believe that Gautam Gambhir and his team in India must play on much better wickets than what they played at Eden Gardens,” said Ganguly.
Ganguly added that the decision to prepare such a surface stemmed from requests by the team management. He pointed out that Gautam Gambhir, the head coach, had publicly stated after the match that the pitch was prepared according to his specifications.
“Sometimes it is beyond our control, and we try and keep the request of the team and the coach and the captain. And that is what we do, so that's what it is. And you've heard Gautam Gambhir say after the game that he wanted that sort of a pitch and was given that sort of a pitch. So you keep the captain and the coach's request,” he added.
‘No question of sacking Gautam Gambhir’: Sourav Ganguly
Despite the loss and the growing debate around India’s home strategy after four defeats to SENA countries, Ganguly dismissed suggestions that head coach Gambhir should be removed from his role.
“There is no question of sacking Gautam Gambhir at this stage,” he said, praising both Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill for their “exceptional” performance in England.
Ganguly urged the team to trust its bowlers, stay patient over five days, and avoid overreacting due to World Test Championship pressures. India, he insisted, has the attack to take 20 wickets on good pitches without resorting to extreme conditions.
"Gautam as a coach and Shubman as a captain did exceptionally well in England on good batting pitches, and I firmly believe that they can do well in India as well.