Follow UsSourav Ganguly, the president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), has stated that the Indian side did not request a “rank turner” pitch for the first Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens in Kolkata starting November 14.
“Well, they haven’t asked for it (rank turner) yet. So, I won’t be able to answer the question. It looks like a very good surface,” Ganguly told PTI, as quoted by The Indian Express.
Having been whitewashed at home by New Zealand last year, India recognise the significance of this fixture in the new ICC Test Championship cycle. South Africa’s squad includes three quality spinners: Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy, which raises questions about how the Indian board and ground authorities will prepare the pitch.
The venue’s curator, Sujan Mukherjee, reported that head coach Gautam Gambhir was “happy to see the wicket” during his inspection. “It’s going to be a good sporting wicket with help for both batters and bowlers. There will be assistance on offer for the spinners as well, and that can happen early as well,” Mukherjee said.
Ganguly has already mentioned strong ticket sales, and CAB expects a big turnout. The Test at Eden Gardens marks India’s first at the venue since their day-night fixture versus Bangladesh in November 2019.