Gambhir said batsmen with decent technique, mental toughness and temperament would do well on such surfaces. He said the Men in Blue had played on similar pitches in the past.
“First of all, there were no demons in the wicket. This was not an unplayable wicket. Temba Bavuma made runs, Axar made runs, Washington scored. The point is that on a turning track, if you see the statistics, the majority of wickets were taken by wickets. If you have decent technique, mental toughness and, most importantly, the right temperament, you can make runs. If you grind and bat long enough, you can score. Players who defended Well, just like KL Rahul and Washington Sundar, they scored. This was not a pitch where you can’t make runs on tracks like this before,” Gambhir said at the post-match press conference.
Former South African pacer Dale Steyn shared his thoughts on Gambhir’s assessment of the surface. The cricketer turned expert explained how difficult batting was at the Eden Gardens.
“He said there were no demons on the pitch? I certainly saw a lot,” Steyn told JioHotstar after the match.
“You know, as Anil said, some balls spin two feet past the bat and hit the keeper’s shoulder. The next one slips through, hits the pad and you’re out. That’s quite difficult to bat with. When batters don’t have the ability to score runs, the application of defense becomes the biggest key. That in itself means batting is very difficult,” he added.
There are definitely demons in this wicket, that’s for sure: Steyn
Steyn disagreed with Gambhir’s assessment that the surface of Eden Gardens did not contain demons. South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in Tests against India noted that Washington Sundar and Temba Bavuma, who were the most confident batsmen in the encounter, did not look entirely comfortable during their strokes as it looked like one good delivery could put an end to their resistance.
“The two who put in the best effort were Washington Sundar in the fourth innings and Temba Bavuma. Even they looked like they could have gotten out at any time; a ball had their number on it. But their defense was the most solid. There are definitely demons in this wicket, that’s for sure. Any Test match that ends in three days is bound to have some demons in it,” Steyn said.
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