Eden Gardens pitch aids Indian bowlers ahead of long away season

The first test between India and Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens had on offer some exciting cricketing action. What stood out was the grass-covered pitch that offered quality bounce- a stark contrast to the usual rank turners that India host. Many have opined that preparing such pitches may be the right step towards preparing India for the long away season over the next two years.

According to a report, the green-top wicket has been the reason for Indian batsmen’s discomfort in abroad tours in the past. If they are to emerge successful in the upcoming tours to South Africa and England, practice in similar conditions is mandatory. The Indian management’s intent in the same direction was made quite clear from their choice of pitch at the Regal Eden Gardens.

Indian players up for the challenge

After the conclusion of the first Test, opener KL Rahul opined, “It’s very clear that we’re preparing for the next two years when we’re scheduled to play a lot of cricket overseas, where we are likely to be confronted with pitches similar to the one here (Eden Gardens). It is going to be challenging for us, so we wanted to start preparing for that.” Sri Lankan coach, Nic Pothas confirmed the approach by comparing the Eden Gardens pitch to be “more like England in May-June.”

While none of the Indian batsmen, apart from Cheteshwar Pujara, were able to leave a mark in the first innings of the match in such testing conditions, it was the bowlers who thrived, giving a glimmer of hope to the side for what lies ahead. The pace trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami shined bright as they picked up 17 wickets amongst themselves in the two innings that Sri Lanka played. This bowling effort also marked the first time that the Indian spinners had gone without a single wicket in the entire Test match.