Kolkata's 'Turning' Pitch Used For India vs South Africa First Test Receives 'Satisfactory' Rating

India vs South Africa: In a surprising move by the ICC (International Cricket Council), the rank-turner pitch used for the first Test between India and South Africa has been rated 'satisfactory' by match referee Richie Richardson. Notably, the match got concluded inside three days as bowlers were able to extract sharp turn from Day 1 itself with some deliveries bouncing 'inconsistently'. It is worth noting that the pitch used in the second Test in Guwahati received a 'very good' rating from the referee. South Africa won both matches as they inflicted a second whitewash on the hosts inside 11 months.

Interestingly, the Kolkata Test witnessed only South African captain Temba Bavuma reaching a milestone during the entire Test. Bavuma's innings was the difference between the two sides as he dished out a phenomenal 55 not out off 136 balls in the second innings.

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Not just the spinner, pacers made merry on the track with the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Marco Jansen picking up wickets at regular intervals due to inconsistent bounce. Simon Harmer was adjudged 'player of the match' with four for 30 in 15.2 overs and four for 21 in 14 overs for a match haul of eight for 51.

MCG Pitch Rated 'Unsatisfactory'

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) pitch has been rated "unsatisfactory" by the ICC after the fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England ended in just two days.

"The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers. With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was 'Unsatisfactory' as per the guidelines and the venue gets one demerit point," said Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, as quoted by ICC's website.

No Demons In The Wicket: Gautam Gambhir

India's head coach Gautam Gambhir came out in defence of the curator and the Eden Gardens pitch, saying: "There was no demon in this wicket. It was not an unplayable one. This was not a typical turning track. Majority of the wickets were claimed by the seamers. It was more of a test of your technique and mental toughness... Those who defended well scored runs. This is exactly what we wanted but when you don't play well, this is what happens."

On the other hand, India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak stated that the pitch started crumbling a bit.

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"In the last match, as we all saw, the pitch was dusty and was also crumbling a bit. That was unexpected. We thought that the spinners would come into play properly from the third day. Even the curators didn't expect that. Seeing that much turn on the second day is not normal. It probably happened because the top layer was dry and the pitch underneath was hard since it was rolled a lot," Kotak had said in the pre-match press conference.

Inputs from Agency