India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir said the Eden Gardens’ curator delivered the same pitch, which the team management asked after their 30-run loss against South Africa at Kolkata on Sunday.
The hosts were stunned by the visitors after the former could not chase down 124 runs. India were bundled out for 93 runs in their second innings as none of the batters could show much resistance. Washington Sundar top-scored with 31 runs but the other batters could not get going on a difficult pitch.
Gambhir said it was a chaseable score and they didn’t bat well, which led to their downfall.
“The point is that you should be able to know how to play turn. This is exactly what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive, and I still believe, irrespective of how the wicket was, 123 (124) was chaseable,” Gautam Gambhir said during the post match press conference (via Jio Hotstar).
The former Indian opener highlighted that they lacked a decent partnership in the final innings, which could have got them over the line.
“We always felt that we can get those partnerships, those 50-run partnerships, we will be in the game. And we were at one stage having that kind of a partnership when Dhruv and Washi were batting, and when Washi and Jaddu were batting. It comes down to whether we have the ability at that time to absorb pressure. The important thing is that can we improve our skill against spinners? Can we improve our temperament?” he added.
Gambhir said it is not fair to compare different eras but feels handling the pressure is more important than the skills.
“We should not be comparing eras. There was no DRS back then. This is a young dressing room, there are a lot of youngsters. More than the skill, it is about the mental toughness. More than the skill, it is the ability to absorb pressure,” Gambhir said
India and South Africa will take on each other in the second Test at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, from Saturday onwards.
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