‘Not even Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli would survive’: Former India cricketer slams Kolkata pitch

IND vs SA: Former India cricketer slams Eden Gardens pitch. (Photo: PTI)

In the first Test match against South Africa, India lost by 30 runs, exposing their weakness against quality spin. India batters were dismissed for 93 in the pursuit of 124 after failing to up a fight against South Africa spinners on the challenging Eden Garden pitch in Kolkata.

The Indian team management's decision to ask for such a surface was heavily criticized since the Kolkata Test finished in just two sessions on Day 3. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh criticized the curator, calling this the end of Test cricket.

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Harbhajan claimed on his YouTube channel that these pitches are unnecessary because they detract from the longest format's beauty. Even players like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar won't be able to play in such conditions, he continued.

"Test cricket has been completely RIP-ed. Rest in peace. I don't think anything is left of Test cricket... at least Indian Test cricket. In England, the matches were fantastic. We praised how the pitches behaved there and how the boys won matches. That was real Test cricket - there was thrill, you could feel the effort. But this? These pitches are bad," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

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"Wherever you bowl, the ball is turning unpredictably. The batter has no clue what to do. No matter how good your technique is - even if you are Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli - you won't survive on such pitches. One ball will shoot up, another will stay low, another will spin absurdly and you'll get out. Skill doesn't matter here; only the pitch is deciding everything. And this isn't new. This has been happening for years," he added.

It was a dreadful outing for India’s batters, who crumbled against South Africa’s fiery attack. Washington Sundar, with 31, was the hosts’ highest scorer in the second innings.