NEW DELHI: The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Sourav Ganguly confirmed on Monday that the Indian team management has not requested a rank turner pitch for the upcoming Test match against South Africa at Eden Gardens starting Friday. India head coach Gautam Gambhir inspected the pitch on Monday morning after arriving with the team from Australia, while curator Sujan Mukherjee indicated it would be a sporting wicket offering help to both batters and bowlers.Ganguly inspected the pitch later in the evening before it was covered to protect from dew and potential showers.“Well, they haven’t asked for it yet. So, I won’t be able to answer the question. It looks a very good one,” Ganguly said regarding any requests for a turning wicket.Eden Gardens has hosted two Ranji Trophy matches this season with slower pitches offering minimal help to fast bowlers. Even Bengal’s pace attack struggled initially against Uttarakhand until Mohammed Shami’s spell changed their fortunes.The pitch has not been watered since Saturday, though curator Mukherjee expressed satisfaction with the preparation. He noted that Gambhir was pleased with the wicket during his inspection.“It’s going to be a good sporting wicket with help for both batters and bowlers. There will be assistance on offer for the spinners as well, and that can happen early as well,” Mukherjee said, as quoted by news agency PTI.The curator mentioned that Gambhir had inquired about spin assistance, to which he indicated turn could be expected from the third day.South Africa, the reigning World Test Champions, brings a formidable spin attack led by Keshav Maharaj, supported by Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy. The trio performed well in their recent 1-1 Test series against Pakistan.This Test marks Eden Gardens’ return to Test cricket after six years, with the last match being India’s first day-night Test against Bangladesh in November 2019.
