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Eden Gardens Pitch Reveals Key Battle: Swing vs Spin in India-South Africa Test

The Eden Gardens pitch promises an exciting contest between bat and ball. Curator Sujan Mukherjee emphasizes morning sessions will heavily favor swing bowlers with good carry. Teams must prioritize slip catching practice as edges are expected to be frequent. This Test holds extra significance for India following their recent home defeat to New Zealand.

Key Points: Eden Gardens Curator Mukherjee on Pitch Conditions for India-SA Test

  • Morning sessions will favor bowlers with significant swing movement
  • Pitch offers good carry requiring sharp slip catching practice
  • South Africa's spin trio dominated Pakistan with 33 wickets
  • India seeks redemption after humiliating home loss to New Zealand
  • Both teams feature strong squads with experienced captains leading
  • Historical context adds pressure on India's veteran players
3 min read

There may be edges and carry...: Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee ahead of India-South Africa Test

Eden Gardens curator Sujan Mukherjee reveals morning swing advantage and good carry, warning teams to practice slip catching ahead of crucial India-South Africa Test.

"You can't say there will be no edges, there may be edges and carry as well - Sujan Mukherjee"

Kolkata, November 12

With India set to take on South Africa in the first Test at the iconic Eden Gardens, the venue's pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee has offered valuable insights into what batters and bowlers can expect from the surface.

Mukherjee believes that bowlers operating in the morning session will have an edge due to the conditions assisting swing and the pitch providing good carry.

"In Eden Gardens, whoever bowls in the morning session will get swing," Mukherjee said in a video posted by Star Sports.

"The wicket has good carry, so they should practice slip catching," he added.

Emphasising the importance of preparation in the slips, Mukherjee warned that edges are likely to come into play.

"You can't say there will be no edges, there may be edges and carry as well," he explained.

"That's why they should practice slip catching," he noted.

In the Test format, India is coming into the series with a 2-0 sweep against West Indies at home, South Africa is heading to Indian shores after a 1-1 draw against Pakistan, where their trio of spinners, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy picked up 33 out of 40 Pakistani wickets, all while averaging below 22 individually.

Maharaj secured a nine-wicket haul, while Harmer got an innings four-wicket haul and an innings six-fer in both Tests respectively. Muthusamy, the 'Player of the Series', got an 11-wicket haul in the first Test, six scalps in the first innings and five in the second.

India would be aiming to thwart this lethal spin threat and look back at the devastating whitewash series loss to New Zealand at home last year as a serious lesson, where Ajaz Patel (15 scalps), Mitchell Santner (13 scalps) and Glenn Phillips (8 wickets) took 36 out of 60 wickets combined and humiliated a star-studded Team India, consisting of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin at their own backyard.

This series started a retirement tour of sorts for these aforementioned legends, which concluded with a humiliating series loss in Australia, and this series proved to be the last series in India for these stalwarts.

India's Test squad: Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Wicketkeeper) (Vice captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (Captain), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Tony de Zorzi, Zubayr Hamza, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
South Africa's spin trio looks dangerous after their performance against Pakistan. Our batters need to be extra careful against Maharaj and Harmer. Good that curator is being transparent about pitch conditions.
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Arjun K
Slip catching practice is so important! Remember how many catches we dropped in previous series? Fielding could be the difference between winning and losing. Hope the team is working hard on this aspect.
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Sarah B
As someone who's watched cricket across countries, I appreciate this honest pitch assessment. Too often curators give vague statements. This helps fans understand what to expect! 👍
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Vikram M
The mention of NZ series loss still hurts. We cannot take any team lightly at home. Young team under Gill needs to prove they can handle pressure. Hope they've learned from past mistakes.
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Michael C
While I'm excited for the match, I hope we don't see another pitch that favors bowlers too much. Test cricket needs a balance between bat and ball to be truly entertaining for fans.
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Ananya R
Can't wait for the match! Eden Gardens under lights, morning swing, good carry - perfect recipe for exciting Test cricket. Hope our young team rises to the occasion! 🏏

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