Sourav Ganguly has delivered a blunt message to Gautam Gambhir following India’s shocking three-day defeat to South Africa at Eden Gardens, telling the head coach to “win Test matches in five days, not three days.” The CAB president confirmed that the controversial pitch was prepared exactly as Gambhir’s team requested.​

“Win Test Matches in Five Days”

Ganguly, while expressing admiration for Gambhir, made clear his displeasure with the pitch strategy that backfired spectacularly. “There is no controversy. It was not the best Test wicket, but unfortunately, India lost. And they still should have got 120. It wasn’t the greatest of Test pitch. Gambhir said they wanted such a pitch and that they themselves instructed the curator,” Ganguly told India Today.​

Despite India’s 30-run loss while chasing just 124, Gambhir doubled down at the post-match press conference, stating the curator delivered exactly what the team wanted. This prompted Ganguly’s pointed response.​

Trust Your Pacers

The former India captain urged Gambhir to have more faith in India’s world-class pace attack rather than relying on extreme turners. “He must have faith in Bumrah, Siraj, and Shami. Spinners, who win Test matches for them,” Ganguly stated.​

His advice carries weight—India possess arguably the world’s best pace trio in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Mohammed Shami, yet the team opted for a surface that negated their advantage.

The Pitch Wasn’t Watered for Four Days

In an explosive revelation earlier, Ganguly disclosed the preparation methods that led to the pitch’s early deterioration. “The pitch is what the Indian camp wanted. This is what happens when you don’t water the pitch for four days. Curator Sujan Mukherjee can’t be blamed,” Ganguly told News18 Bangla.​

The lack of watering caused the surface to break up from day one, offering sharp turn and variable bounce that proved unplayable for batters from both teams. No team crossed 200 in any of the four innings.​

Curator Defends His Work

Eden Gardens pitch curator Sujan Mukherjee defended the surface while confirming it was prepared per team instructions. “This pitch is not bad at all. I know everyone is questioning this pitch. Honestly, I know how to prepare a pitch for a Test. That’s exactly what I did. I did it as instructed,” Mukherjee told Times Now Bangla.​

“I don’t want to comment on what Sourav said. He also said that the pitch was given exactly as the Indian team wanted. Later, Gautam Gambhir also admitted that. So I don’t want to comment on this. A good pitch was given. South Africa played intelligently there and won,” he added.​

Continue but Change Approach

Ganguly struck a diplomatic tone regarding Gambhir’s overall tenure while insisting on strategic adjustments. “Yes, that is true - instructions were given, and I’ll just repeat what I said earlier. I am very fond of Gautam; he has done well for India in England, in ODIs, in T20 cricket. We will continue for a while, but we must play on good pitches,” Ganguly asserted.​

His conclusion was unambiguous: “Win Test matches in five days, not three days.”

ICC Rating Expected

With the ICC expected to issue a “poor” rating and possible demerit points for Eden Gardens, the controversy has broader implications. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh warned: “If we keep serving this, Test cricket won’t need opponents to die: we’ll kill it ourselves”.​

Fourth Home Loss in Six Tests

The defeat represents India’s fourth home loss in their last six Tests, including the 0-3 whitewash by New Zealand on similarly extreme turners at Pune and Mumbai. The pattern is undeniable—India’s strategy of preparing rank turners is backfiring catastrophically.​

Ganguly’s message is clear: leverage India’s pace bowling strength on traditional subcontinental pitches that deteriorate gradually over five days, rather than gambling on extreme turners that level the playing field and kill Test cricket in the process.