BCCI curators take charge: Sourav Ganguly distances himself from Eden pitch saga

Former Indian captain and current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly distanced himself from the Eden Gardens pitch saga and clarified that BCCI-appointed curators took control of the surface four days before the India-South Africa Test.

The Kolkata Test ended in two and a half days with the world Test champions South Africa defeated India to take a 1-0 lead in a two-match Test series. India failed to chase down 124 and collapsed for just 93, the first time they had been bowled out for less than 100 runs in the fourth innings of a Test.

Although the Eden Gardens surface behaved erratically from the first crossing, offering turn and uneven bounce, head coach Gautam Gambhir insisted that there are no demons on the field. He put the blame squarely on the batsmen and said he expected much better from them.

Ganguly, a former BCCI president, has made it clear that the CAB has no direct involvement in the preparation of the final Test surface once the board’s team arrives.

“No, no, I’m not involved at all,” Ganguly told India Today when asked if the Indian team management sought his expertise before finalizing the pitch. “Curators from the BCCI come and take the wickets four days before a Test match. We also have our own curator (Sujan Mukherjee) who has been doing exceptionally well for a long time. Requests are made and you follow them. That’s it.”

GANGULY ADMITS POOR SPACING

Sourav Ganguly did not hesitate to admit it the surface at Eden Gardens was below standard and did little to support the Indian batting.

“It wasn’t the best, I must admit, and I think the top-order batting, the middle-order batting, you know, deserves a better cricket surface. It was a full house at Eden Gardens for those three days and I absolutely believe that Gautam Gambhir and his team in India have to play on much better wickets than they played at Eden Gardens,” he said.

Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee echoed Ganguly’s remarks, saying he simply followed the instructions given by the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management.

“Sometimes it’s out of our control and we try to follow the demand of the team, the coach and the captain. And that’s what we do, so that’s the way it is. And you heard Gautam Gambhir saying after the match that he wanted that kind of pitch and he got that kind of pitch. So you follow the demand of the captain and the coach,” he said.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

November 19, 2025