 "India head coach Gautam Gambhir. Reuters")
Legendary batter Ab de Villiers thinks Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir’s remarks on the Kolkata pitch were to push players to deliver a better performance. India were bowled out for 93 in the second innings of the first Test at the Eden Gardens and lost for the first time to South Africa at home in Tests since 2010.
The pitch was tough for batting and apart from Temba Bavuma , no batter from both sides could score a fifty. After the match, Gambhir was very clear that the pitch in Kolkata was exactly what the Indian team wanted. De Villiers believes with this comment, the coach was expressing his displeasure at the performance of his players.
“Before I could blink the Test match was over. Exactly the wicket India wanted, says India coach Gautam Gambhir. Very interesting comments there. Maybe he is having a go at the players, saying ‘This what we prepared, why didn’t we perform?’” the legendary South African said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers, like many other former cricketers , reckons that India should be playing on better batting pitches.
“Maybe India have to change the makeup of the pitches and not ask for turners. Make it more of a fair Test pitch that will last at least four days,” de Villiers added.
Gambhir’s comment on Kolkata pitch
“I believe the curator was very supportive. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for . This is exactly what we wanted,” Gambhir had commented after India’s loss.
“There were no demons in this wicket. It was not unplayable. Temba Bavuma scored runs, and Axar and Washi also scored runs. The point is, there is no use talking about the pitch all the time. The majority of the wickets have gone to seamers. I don’t think it was a difficult wicket. This was a surface where your technique was tested, your mental toughness was challenged, and if you had the temperament to grind and bat long, you could score runs. But if you tried to play attacking cricket, then it became difficult,” Gambhir had said.
The second Test match between the two teams begins Saturday, November 22 in Guwahati.