'We ask for the pitch to aid spinners from day one so that toss doesn't become crucial.'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir mounted a strong defence of the tough Eden Gardens pitch, saying it was precisely the kind of track they were looking for ahead of the first Test against South Africa in Kolkata.
Chasing 124 for victory, India were bowled out for 93 to lose by 30 runs on Day 3 of the first Test on Sunday.
Except for Washington Sundar (31) and Axar Patel (26) no other Indian batter managed to get above the 20-run mark in the second innings. Rishabh Pant (2), K L Rahul (1) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) managed just three runs between them in the second innings, in another disastrous showing by the Indians on a turning track.
"It was not an unplayable wicket. This (pitch) is exactly what we asked for and this is what we got, the curator (Sujan Mukherjee) here was very supportive. I think it's a wicket that can judge your mental toughness, as ones who played with good defence scored runs," said Gambhir in the post-match press conference.
Gambhir then cited the case of Temba Bavuma (55 not out) and Washington Sundar (31 off 92 balls) to validate his argument.
"This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. There were no demons or not unplayable. Axar, Temba, Washington made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, majority wickets were taken by seamers," he added.
Gambhir also reasoned that the hosts preferred such an unwatered pitch to render the toss invalid.
"We ask for the pitch to aid spinners from day one so that toss doesn't become crucial. Had we won the Test you wouldn't be asking or discussing so much about pitch. We' hae got the guys to deliver in any condition," he added.
Updating on the status of injured skipper Shubman Gill, Gambhir said: "He is still still being assessed. The physio will take a call today."