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Gambhir shares warm hug with Eden Gardens curator amid pitch drama in IND vs SA Tests

Aakash Saini

Gautam Gambhir with Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee [Source: @debasissen, @RevSportzGlobal/x]Gautam Gambhir with Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee [Source: @debasissen, @RevSportzGlobal/x]

Team India suffered a crushing 30-run defeat to South Africa in a low-scoring thriller at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The outcome sparked a huge debate among fans and cricket experts regarding the tough playing surface at the venue, considering the pitch offered variable bounce and minimal assistance for the batters.

While former cricketers like Anil Kumble and Cheteshwar Pujara both blamed the Eden Gardens pitch for India's twin collapse in the match, coach Gautam Gambhir shocked everyone after India's defeat by defending curator Sujan Mukherjee, claiming that the pitch was 'exactly' what the Indian team management wanted.

Gautam Gambhir has a friendly chat with curator amid training

On Tuesday, November 18, several Indian team players like young Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal and Dhruv Jurel hit the Eden Gardens in Kolkata for an optional nets training session. Coach Gautam Gambhir also attended the session and observed the cricketers at play.

During his time at the venue, Gambhir was spotted playfully interacting with controversial Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee. As per the images shared by RevSportz on social media, the Indian head coach also hugged Mukherjee, even though the playing surface he churned out in Kolkata has been coping with a range of criticism from all corners of India's cricketing fraternity.

It is worth noting that during the post-match press conference in Kolkata after Team India's humiliating defeat to South Africa, Gautam Gambhir had praised Sujan Mukherjee, by saying: “This is exactly the pitch we wanted and the pitch curator was very helpful.”

As it happened, Team India was tasked to chase 124 runs on Day 3 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. However, with no Shubman Gill in the mix owing to his neck spasm, the Indian team folded up for a paltry 93 to fall 30 runs short of their target. For South Africa, Simon Harmer bagged the 'Player of the Match' award for his twin four-wicket hauls.