"Gautam Gambhir had a massive fight with Sourav Ganguly"- Eden Gardens' Pitch Pandora Box opened
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Indian National Team head coach Gautam Gambhir has been blamed for fighting with the CAB President Sourav Ganguly, as he desired a rank turner. The Indian coach's strategy backfired as not only the four Indian spinners but also the Protea spinners dominated the Indian batting order.
India lost the first Test match against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The Indians lost the match by a huge margin of 30 runs, after they were bowled out for just 93 runs in the second innings of play.
The second match is scheduled to be played at the Guwahati Cricket Stadium on November 22. This will be very crucial from India's point of view, as they would look forward to sealing the series in a 1-1 draw.
Gautam Gambhir fought with Sourav Ganguly for a rank-turner in Eden Gardens
After India faced a crushing defeat at the Eden Gardens on the Third day of play, everyone, including former Indian greats as well as cricket fans, blamed the unconventionality of the track for such a result.
Even the Cricket Association of Bengal was blamed for the mishap, but they soon clarified that such a track was asked for by the Team India management as well as the BCCI.
Now, in the latest revelation, it has been revealed that the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, fought with Sourav Ganguly for a rank-turner pitch.
Though Ganguly had asked him to consider having a sporting pitch like that of England, as they could win matches with the amount of talent they possess, Gambhir insisted on having a rank-turner track.
It is also clear why the Indian head coach played with four spinners in the side. He had a clear strategy to baffle the Proteas with their quality spin, but could not account for the struggle of his own batters on such an unplayable track.
Meet Gautam Gambhir,
— Ctrl C Ctrl Memes (@Ctrlmemes_) November 17, 2025
Most stupid coach of Indian team.
He forced Sourav Ganguly to make rank turner, he fought even after Ganguly suggested to have a sporting pitch.
Do we need Gambhir to continue? pic.twitter.com/S8APT8YOLR
Why does India's home advantage reduce on a rank turner track
In India, the team's constant demand for a spin-friendly track is a cold professional choice and not just emotional reactions to the seaming conditions they face over in England and Australia. If history can be scrapped, then Gautam Gambhir was one of the first Indian players to demand such a track in public.
However, surprisingly for India, they have lost 8 home Tests in the last decade, and five of them have come on extremely helpful tracks for spinners.
Hence, this can be easily cited: by asking for pitches that turn from day one and get progressively difficult to bat on, the Men with Baggy Blue are simply bridging the gap between their spin superiority and the visitors.
Simon Harmer rushed the Indians on a rank-turner track
While the Indians undoubtedly did a very fair job with their spinners, picking a total of 10 wickets across the two innings of play, the South Africans have something else up their sleeves. Simon Harmer, the 36-year-old experienced spinner, was brought in for the subcontinent tracks alongside Keshav Maharaj.
Harmer picked up 8 wickets in the match across the two innings with a 4-wicket haul. He was backed by Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markam, as the spinners got 12 of the 18 wickets that fell in the Indian innings.
Other than just wickets, Harmer literally stunned Indian batters every time they took the field. Hence, the Idea for a rank-turner from Gautam Gambhir totally backfired against his own side.
ALSO READ: Sunil Gavaskar supports Gautam Gambhir in Eden Gardens pitch row, blasts KL Rahul & Co. for horror show
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India National Cricket Team South Africa National Cricket Team India vs South Africa South Africa vs India Gautam Gambhir Sourav Ganguly ICC World Test Championship
