A total of 26 wickets have fallen across the first two days of the ongoing Kolkata Test between India and South Africa. Of these, 15 have been taken by spinners from both sides. And since all this has happened within the first two days of a Test match being played in India, a number of former cricketers, experts, and followers of the game have reignited the pitch debate once again. Leading the way, as usual, was Michael Vaughan, who described it as an “awful pitch”.
Whenever India play a Test match at home, the pitch invariably becomes the centre of attention. The ongoing Test is no different, especially after the number of wickets that have fallen and with the game seemingly heading for an early finish. A sporting wicket had been promised by the Eden Gardens pitch curator, Sujan Mukherjee, who was expected to prepare something fair for both the home team and the visitors. But so far, it has been a one-sided contest, with the ball dominating the bat. Both teams were bowled out for under 200 in their respective first innings and, in the second innings, South Africa are currently 93 for 7. No batter has managed to cross the fifty-run mark so far, which speaks volumes about how the pitch has played. Tristan Stubbs’ reaction after being bowled on Day 2 summed up how tough batting has been. Not only the visitors, but even the hosts have been taken aback by the nature of the surface.
“I mean, to be honest with you, even we didn’t expect the wicket to deteriorate so quickly,” India’s bowling coach, Morne Morkel, said in the press conference on Saturday.
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Right from the start, it was evident that the match would finish quickly. The first three balls of the Test suggested that the black-soil pitch lacked pace and bounce. To make matters worse for the batters, from the very first over it consistently showed signs of variable bounce, particularly from one end. There is turn on offer for the spinners as well, though it is not turning square every ball; instead, every delivery seems to bring an event.
“From one end it feels like it’s going straight, but from the other end everything is happening. You have to play attacking cricket as a batter,” Axar Patel said at the end of play on Saturday.
The end Axar referred to is the High Court End, where the inconsistent bounce made batting look near to impossible.
Varying the pace and landing the ball in good areas has been the key for the spinners. The pitch is not a minefield, however. Temba Bavuma showed grit, determination, and resilience during his 78-ball stay at the crease. His footwork, ability to pick length early, and solid defensive technique made him the standout batter. It is undoubtedly a very tough pitch to bat on, but if a player applies himself, runs can be scored — as the South African skipper showed.
Such has been the impact of excessive white-ball cricket in the modern calendar that players are struggling to adapt to challenging conditions. More than the pitch, the quality of batsmanship is in question. Once again, it has raised eyebrows about the skill set of batters when playing on challenging pitches.
The pitch will rightly come under review, but the batters from both teams will also need to reassess their game plans for more testing conditions.
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