India vs. South Africa (PTI Photo/Swapan Mahapatra) Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee on Monday responded to criticism over the controversial pitch in the first Test between India and South Africa, which ended in three days.India suffered a 30-run defeat after being bowled out for 93 while chasing 124 in the fourth innings of the match.
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The pitch became a topic of debate after witnessing 11 wickets on Day 1 and 15 wickets on Day 2. No team managed to score more than 200 runs in any innings, with only one batsman, South African captain Temba Bavuma, reaching a half-century.Sujan Mukherjee defended his work in an interview with Times Now, in line with head coach Gautam Gambhir’s view on the quality of the pitch.“This pitch is not bad at all,” he told Times Now.Mukherjee explained that he followed the instructions given to him while preparing the pitch.“I know everyone is questioning this pitch. Honestly, I know how to prepare a Test pitch. That’s exactly what I did. I did it as per instructions. I don’t think about what others say. Not everyone knows everything. So I do my job with dedication and I want to continue to do so in future,” he added.Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly addressed the situation.“Yes, that’s right – the instructions have been given and I’m just repeating what I said earlier. I like Gautam very much; he’s done well for India in England, in ODIs, in T20 cricket,” Ganguly said. Emphasizing the importance of confidence in India’s pace attack, Ganguly added: “They have to have confidence in Bumrah, Siraj and Shami. Spinners who win Test matches for them. Win Test matches in five days, not three days.”The match at the Eden Gardens faced criticism from various quarters, with some calling for the venue to be banned and others describing the pitch as “horrendous”.
