The pitch prepared in Kolkata became one of the chief protagonists in the drama of the first Test between India and South Africa. On the undercooked track, batters from both sides struggled for rhythm, timing, and stroke-making. Though spinners and pacers enjoyed the conditions, thanks to the sharp turn and variable bounce, only one batter crossed 50; a dozen stints ended in the 20s or 30s. Even when batters got a decent start, the pitch could not be trusted. One record in particular makes for a bleak reading—this was the first Test in 66 years where none of the four innings crossed 200. All of this begs the question: are pitches like this a good advertisement for Test cricket? You can also get pitches abroad where matches do not last the distance, and they too attract flak. The strip at the iconic Eden Gardens did not allow for a fair contest between bat and ball. Sure, the overall up-and-down match was thrilling and the crowds got their money’s worth, but the main criterion to judge a game is whether there were enough opportunities for both the primary skill sets—batting and bowling—to shine. The answer was a resounding no.
We can have a debate on the modern Indian batters’ discomfort with spin, but the demerits of strips like this deserve a thorough discussion too. Kevin Pietersen, scorer of one of the greatest centuries ever hit by an overseas player in India, reckoned it was a skills issue. There may be some truth in it, but there is no long-term benefit of playing on tracks like these. To be clear, it’s perfectly fine to play on whatever tracks the host board wants—for example, if India would rather have home pitches like this en route to the final of the World Test Championship. But the host board also has a duty to its own batters. When they decided on raging turners post Covid, the averages of several batters took a hit. Even Cheteshwar Pujara, regarded one of the best Test batters in the previous generation, suffered. If the Guwahati Test is played on another extreme pitch, it too may be decided by luck rather than skill.