‘Pathetic, utter nonsense’: Former India cricketer slams Eden pitch for ‘killing’ Test cricket | Cricket News
Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has come down hard on the Eden Gardens surface used for the first Test between India and South Africa, calling the pitch unfit for the longest format after 26 wickets tumbled inside the first two days. South Africa were bundled out for 153 on the third morning, leaving India a target of just 123 on a surface that had broken up severely. The chase began poorly, with Yashasvi Jaiswal dismissed for a duck, while captain Shubman Gill was unavailable due to a neck injury.
Harbhajan, who famously took 13 wickets at this venue during India’s iconic 2001 Test triumph, said conditions like these were damaging the future of Test cricket. “Just two days are done and we are able to see which way the game is going,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel. “They have done RIP to Test cricket. I don’t think Test cricket has any value left. India played exceptionally well in England recently, everyone praised them. The pitches on which they played and how India fought back to win — that is Test cricket, that is fun.” The former spinner insisted that even batting greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli would struggle on a pitch behaving this unpredictably. So far, Temba Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 in the third innings has been the only score above 40 in the match. “This pitch is like, you pitch the ball here and it’s turning and going elsewhere. Batters hardly know what to do. Even the likes of Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar cannot survive on such pitches because one ball will keep low, bounce extra or turn viciously to get your wicket. So, technique is not coming into play, just the pitch,” he said. Harbhajan added that such issues were not new but had reached an unacceptable level. “It’s been happening for years now. When I talk about it, people tell me why do you speak about them. I don’t think we have seen such unprepared conditions. It’s not going the right way. It’s pathetic, utter nonsense to see this. They are making fun of the game,” he fumed.
