New Delhi [India], December 30 (ANI): The Eden Gardens’ Kolkata pitch for the first India-South Africa Test back in November, which was wrapped up in three days, has received a “satisfactory” rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Richie Richardson.
As per ESPNCricinfo, the rating will help the iconic venue to stay immune from any sanctions by the ICC, despite the immense criticism the pitch received from fans and experts alike, failing to produce gripping Test cricket. India’s loss at the venue was their first in a Test match at this venue in 13 years.
Within the ICC’s four-tier pitch-rating system, ‘satisfactory’ lies at level two, sandwiched right in between “very good” and “unsatisfactory”. The lowest grading a pitch could receive is “unfit”. After every Test match ending within a time span of 2-4 days, these reports are of heavy anticipation. Recently, the strip used during the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) between Australia and England had received an “unsatisfactory” rating and a demerit point as well, with the match taking just two days to finish and no fifties scored across four innings. All 36 wickets in the match fell to pacers.
During the Kolkata Test, uneven bounce was there right from ball one, with some balls being too high and unplayable and others lying too low. As the match went on, spinners could extract more turn. The pitch was a gift to both pacers and spinners, with Marco Jansen picking up three crucial wickets while defending 124 runs, and Simon Harmer taking four wickets in both innings.
Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul was also another highlight. No team crossed the 200-run mark in both innings, and India was skittled out for just 93 runs, despite Axar Patel (26 in 17 balls, with a four and two sixes) attempting a counter-attack, with skipper Shubman Gill not being a part of the match due to a neck injury sustained just minutes into his batting stint in the first innings.
Amid criticism, head coach Gautam Gambhir had defended the strip in his post-match presser, saying, “This was exactly the pitch we were looking for.”
The Guwahati pitch was much better, but so was South Africa, as the Proteas gave India their second Test series loss at home in back-to-back years after humiliating 0-3 loss to NZ. (ANI)
