India’s three-day defeat at Eden Gardens has triggered a storm of criticism from some of cricket’s biggest former stars who tore into the pitch, the team’s tactics and the quality of batting on display, but head coach Gautam Gambhir begged to differ.
Gambhir defended the under-fire curator, insisting the surface had “no demons” and blaming his batters for failing to “absorb pressure”.
A host of legends forcefully disagreed, calling the wicket extreme, the approach muddled and India’s technique in decline.
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh led the outcry on his YouTube channel, declaring that such surfaces have “completely destroyed Test cricket.”
“Rest in peace Test cricket,” Bhajji said in his Youtube channel, blaming the extreme turn and variable behaviour, he said these wickets “do not contribute to the development of players” and called on Indian cricket to “reflect” on how such pitches are “killing the long format”.
Anil Kumble’s criticism focused squarely on India’s decision-making. Speaking to JioStar, he questioned why stand-in captain Rishabh Pant did not open the decisive morning’s spell with Jasprit Bumrah despite South Africa starting the day at 63/7.
“Having spread-out fields and not giving the first over to your best bowler… was questionable,” he said. “Overall, India were certainly outdone by South Africa.”
South Africa’s legendary quick Dale Steyn, speaking to JioHotstar, dismissed Gambhir’s “no demons” defence outright.
“I certainly saw quite a lot,” Steyn said. “Some balls are spinning two feet past the bat… the next is skidding through and hitting the pad. That’s pretty tough to bat on.” He added that even Washington Sundar and Temba Bavuma “looked like they could have gotten out at any time”.
Cheteshwar Pujara, analysing the defeat on Star Sports’ panel, said India’s strong batting resources meant defeat at home could not be explained away as “transition”.
“If we lose in India, it means something is wrong,” he said, arguing India would have had a “better chance to win this Test on a good wicket”. On a fair surface, he added, “even India A can beat South Africa”.
Former India captain Ajinkya Rahane, in his YouTube post-match review, said the Eden pitch was “very challenging for the batsmen” and suggested India should have freed up at least two batters to counter the low target on a volatile track.
“When you’re chasing 125 on a tricky wicket, you need to let two batters play freely,” he explained. Still, he backed the side to rebound strongly.
Irfan Pathan, reacting on X, warned that India’s long-term batting fundamentals have eroded. “Our skills to play spin on turning tracks… have definitely gone down,” he wrote, pointing to declining wrist work and soft hands as chronic issues.
As the noise grows, Gambhir’s call for patience and clarity of approach stands in stark contrast to the blunt assessment from cricket’s old guard. For now, India head to the second Test facing uncomfortable questions on multiple fronts.