The Indian team has been at the centre of criticism amid the controversy surrounding the 'demonic' Eden Gardens track, after head coach Gautam Gambhir admitted that it was the management who had demanded a turner in Kolkata following the 30-run loss in the series against South Africa. On a track which was supposed to aid the home spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav, visiting tweaker Simon Harmer rocked the Indian batting line-up with a four-fer in each innings to hand the Proteas their first win on Indian soil in 15 years.
Despite the raging criticism aimed at the Indian team management, with experts urging them to reconsider their pitch philosophy and trust their arsenal of fast bowlers, the hosts remain unmoved. According to a report in The Times of India, the home team remains bullish on playing on rank turners against South Africa, which has left the BCCI concerned.
ALSO READ: Too many changes, haphazard planning: India's Test team gripped by climate of uncertainty
The Barsapara Stadium, slated to stage a Test match for the first time ever, is also the home turf of BCCI head curator Ashish Bhowmick. The report added that given the team's demand, the Indian board is worried about drawing negative reaction for dishing out a raging turner for their maiden Test.
“The pitch here is made of red soil which has the tendency to offer more pace and bounce. The Indian team had made their demands clear before the home season. So, if the pitch offers turn, it will turn at pace and bounce. The curators are trying to ensure there is no substantial variable bounce," a BCCI source told the national daily.
{{/usCountry}}“The pitch here is made of red soil which has the tendency to offer more pace and bounce. The Indian team had made their demands clear before the home season. So, if the pitch offers turn, it will turn at pace and bounce. The curators are trying to ensure there is no substantial variable bounce," a BCCI source told the national daily.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier on Sunday, in the post-match press conference, Gambhir was asked whether the pitch narrative would be similar in Guwahati, and the former India batter said that the focus should rather be on improving skills and mentality, insisting the team can deliver on any surface.
"We've always said that the turning wicket should be where there's very little turn on day one so that the toss doesn't become an important factor. We've never said that we want to play on a bad wicket or we want to play on rank-turners. Ultimately, if we had won this test match, you wouldn't even be talking about this pitch. So, my point is, we need to improve mentally and skill-wise rather than discussing the wicket. Because wickets are the same for both teams. So, whatever we get in Guwahati, we've got the guys to deliver in any condition and on any surface as well," he said.