Eden Gardens Test: Losing home advantage on doctored pitches

The defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens is India’s fourth loss in six home Tests — an indication of how poorly India under Gambhir played their cards

There is more to home advantage than just the pitch. But by asking for specific kinds of wickets, coach Gautam Gambhir and the India team management have suffered the ignominy of trying to set a trap for the opposition, and then falling into it themselves. The defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens is India’s fourth loss in six home Tests — an indication of how poorly India, under Gambhir, have played their cards. The last four losses before the most recent downturn spanned seven years (February 2017 to January 2024). Now, we have seen four in 13 months.

Eden Gardens saw great crowds for its first Test in six years, but the match itself ended within three days. The demand for such pitches, thus, does a disservice to spectators and the game itself. (HT Photo)

Curators know local conditions best, and if left alone, they will usually try to produce a wicket that promises good cricket. But when you start asking them to mix things up just a few days before the game, there is a risk of things backfiring as they did at Eden. The batters, as the Test tour of England in June-August showed, are good enough, but if you reduce batting to a lottery, then there are no guarantees. Yes, the batters should have done better. But this is also a young batting unit that must be allowed to come into its own. Even the best Indian batters have struggled at home in the last five years — with only Yashasvi Jaiswal (1,322 runs at 57.47) averaging over 50. A doctored pitch is the last thing such a line-up needs.

Eden Gardens saw great crowds for its first Test in six years, but the match itself ended within three days. The demand for such pitches, thus, does a disservice to spectators and the game itself. The England series was fun because it tested the cricketers’ technique and temperament, and most matches went the distance. India have much to introspect — in terms of both team and pitch — and it would be a pity if an anticipated win in the next test sweeps these concerns under the carpet.