'Pitch had no demons': Gautam Gambhir defends Eden Gardens track as India fail to chase 124

Gautam Gambhir defends Eden Gardens track as India fail to chase 124

India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Sunday mounted a strong defence of the tough Eden Gardens pitch, saying it was precisely the kind of track they were looking for ahead of the first Test against South Africa. India were bowled out for 93 in the chase of 124 to surrender against South Africa by 30 runs in Kolkata.

"It was not an unplayable wicket. This (pitch) is exactly what we asked for and this is what we got, the curator (Sujan Mukherjee) here was very supportive. I think it's a wicket that can judge your mental toughness, as ones who played with good defence scored runs," said Gambhir in the post-match press conference.

Gambhir then cited the case of Temba Bavuma (55 not out) and Washington Sundar (31 off 92 balls) to validate his argument.

"This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. There were no demons or not unplayable. Axar, Temba, Washington made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, majority wickets were taken by seamers," he added.

Gambhir also reasoned that the hosts preferred such an unwatered pitch to render the toss invalid.

"We ask for the pitch to aid spinners from day one so that toss doesn't become crucial. Had we won the Test you wouldn't be asking or discussing so much about pitch. We've got the guys to deliver in any condition," he added.

Updating on the status of injured skipper Shubman Gill, Gambhir said: "He's still being assessed. The physio will take a call today."