IND vs SL 1st Test: Eden Gardens Will Provide Good Wicket, Says Sourav Ganguly

Published - 15 Nov 2017, 11:20 AM | Updated - 22 Aug 2024, 11:46 PM

With the attention being firmly fixed on the Eden Gardens track ahead of the series-opener between India and Sri Lanka, former skipper and president of Cricket Association of Bengal Sourav Ganguly has insisted it will be a good wicket.

“It will be a good wicket,” Ganguly told reporters in Kolkata.

The last time, India played a Test at the iconic stadium, it turned out to be an exciting one before Virat Kohli & Co. asserted their authority to beat New Zealand by 178 runs with fast-bowler from both sides making merry. Prior to the game against the Kiwis last year, the pacers averaged 45.38 at Eden Gardens since 2000 which was the worst among all 56 venues that have hosted five or more Tests. In nine Tests during that period, only pacer to register a five-wicket haul at the venue was Mohammad Shami in 2013-14.

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Shami will be hoping to deliver the goods at his home ground (Credits: AFP)

The trend, however, saw a pleasant change in 2016 with Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammad Shami impressing. In the first innings of the game, New Zealand’s pace trio Henry, Boult and Neil Wagner shared seven wickets between them to help the visitors bowl out the hosts for 316 before Bhuvneshwar Kumar‘s 5 wicket and Shami’s 3-wicket haul helped India to take an 112-run lead.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar had taken a 5-wicket haul in the last Test at the Eden Gardens (Credits: BCCI)

In the second innings, India were all out for just 263 with Henry and Boult taking three wickets each. Shami and Bhuvneshwar then once again proved instrumental as the hosts bowled out the visitors for 197 to win the game.

With Ganguly saying that the venue will once again provide a good wicket, India will be eyeing a similar performance from their pacers when they take on Sri Lanka in the first Test, starting November 16.

Captain and coach assess the Eden Gardens pitch (Credits: AP)

Meanwhile, Ganguly further said that being a cricketer is tougher than being an administrator.

“Here you miss and you get out, in every other thing you get a second chance. As a player you don’t… Playing is always difficult there’s no retake for a player,” Ganguly later said at a promotional event.

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