Ravi Ashwin rejects claims that the Eden Gardens pitch was a turner after India’s defeat

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin refused to agree with people calling the Eden Gardens pitch a turner after India’s 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test. According to him, the pitch was not a turner, and he raised questions about the surface preparation. He also said that this kind of pitch should not be made at Eden Gardens.

“If someone calls this Eden Gardens pitch a turner, I will not agree with them one bit. It was proper wicket preparation that went awry. The point I agree with is that it was quite dangerous. But my view is, give a turner. But there are only a few surfaces to give a turner. You cannot give a turner in Eden Gardens. If you try to give a turner there, the wicket will turn like this,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

The match finished within three days, and the way India got bundled out for 93 while chasing a 124-run target led fans to raise questions about the pitch quality. However, during the post-match press conference, India head coach Gautam Gambhir refused to blame the pitch for the loss. He said the target was chaseable and that there were “no demons in the wicket.”

“It’s a very young team.” - Ashwin

He also pointed out that the current group of Test players is quite inexperienced, and they should learn from this loss and prepare better for the upcoming matches, especially in how to bat against spinners on this kind of track. Ashwin also shared the same view, saying that this team will need time to adapt.

“Another point of view is that it’s a very young team. They will also take their time to adapt. There have been cases in the past. In 2012, when I, Virat (Kohli), and (Cheteshwar) Pujara came first, we lost a series to England. We lost to a well-experienced English side. After that, how to play, how to really counter it, how to take our game to the front, improvements will happen. So, let’s keep our judgments reserved,” Ashwin said.

India will now face South Africa from November 22–26 in the second Test in Guwahati as they look to make a strong comeback and avoid a home series defeat.

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