Rahul Dravid Analyzes Eden Gardens Pitch Ahead Of Key IND vs SA Clash In Kolkata
Rahul Dravid inspected the Eden Gardens pitch for a good 15 minutes
Upon touching down in Kolkata, Indian head coach, Rahul Dravid, along with his coaching entourage, made a strategic detour to the Eden Gardens. Their mission was to analyze the pitch ahead of a highly anticipated World Cup 2023 clash with South Africa on Sunday.
In what is becoming a familiar practice for Dravid, the coach preferred to survey the ground's conditions while the players were en route to their hotel accommodations. Accompanied by the chief of the BCCI's grounds and pitches committee, Ashish Bhowmick, and Eden Garden’s own curator, Sujan Mukherjee, Dravid spent a thoughtful 15 minutes examining the wicket.
Rahul Dravid's made a tactical stop at Eden Gardens to assess IND vs SA pitch
While the rest of the outfield remained under wraps, shielded against the predicted inclement weather, the inspection of the designated pitch revealed a track with the promise of runs.
The brief but intense evaluation ended with Dravid seemingly approving of the pitch conditions, which are historically favourable to batsmen, with just the right amount of assistance for seam bowlers. The average scores north of 215 in the tournament’s games at the venue have attested to the ground's reputation for a balanced cricketing contest.
While speaking to PTI, curator Mukherjee highlighted the inherent quality of the Eden Gardens wicket. He implied that performance trumps pitch conditions, citing an instance where a team's collapse for a paltry total was less about the playing surface and more about inadequate batting.
"The head coach seemed satisfied with the track. We have produced good wickets at Eden. The bounce will be even and batters will get value for their shots. But bottom line is, one needs to play well. Sri Lanka got all out for 55. Was it a bad track?" said Mukherjee.
A spokesperson for the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) offered insights into the preparations, revealing that the pitch under consideration was previously played on by Holland and Bangladesh.
He reckoned that since that match, diligent efforts have been made to fine-tune the track, which features a thin layer of grass atop the characteristic black soil, indicative of a hard and true surface conducive for aggressive batting. The CAB official projected a scenario where India’s batting might exploit these conditions to post a formidable total if they bat first.
"The match would be played on the same track where Holland played Bangladesh. That was first game and after that some work has been done on the track. The grass kept is very minimal and Eden is always a black soil track. So it will be hard strip where one can hit through the line. This Indian line-up, if they bat first, can score 300 plus," stated the CAB official.
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