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The pitch for the India-South Africa Test in Guwahati will reportedly offer ‘turn and bounce’ after the controversy at the Eden Gardens.
Barsapara Stadium (PTI Photo)
As India take on South Africa in the 2nd Test of the ongoing two-match home series in Guwahati, all eyes will be on what the pitch at the Barsapara Stadium has to offer. The hosts lost the first match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata by 30 runs — their first home Test defeat to the Proteas in 15 years — and the blame was shared between the batters’ poor technique and a pitch with supposedly excessive help for bowlers.
It has become embroiled in a big issue since then, with some observers saying that India haven’t learned their lesson from the 3-0 whitewash at home to New Zealand last year. On the other hand, head coach Gautam Gambhir said the pitch was exactly what the team wanted — and not as vicious as it is being made out to be — thus couldn’t be used as an excuse, which was backed by legends like Sunil Gavaskar.
Now, according to The Times of India, the pitch at the Barsapara Stadium is again likely to offer turn and bounce, but with an attempt to keep the latter as even as possible.
“The pitch here is made of red soil, which has the tendency to offer more pace and bounce. The Indian team had made their demands clear before the home season. So, if the pitch offers turn, it will turn at pace and bounce. The curators are trying to ensure there is no substantial variable bounce,” the newspaper quoted a BCCI source as saying.
The Eden pitch became such a huge part of the narrative also because of contrasting statements from Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) chief Sourav Ganguly. Before the Test, he told the media that the Indian team hadn’t asked for a rank-turner for the match, but after the result, he said it was ‘exactly’ what the team wanted, adding that the pitch hadn’t been watered for days to ensure the need was fulfilled.
November 18, 2025, 16:14 IST
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