Former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanthcriticised the Eden Gardens pitch on which the first Test between India and South Africa was played. Srikkanth classified the pitch as a "horrible" one, as only 594 runs were scored across four innings in the series-opening fixture. He also refuted head coach Gautam Gambhir's claims that the pitch offered no nasty surprises.
He pointed out the low scores across all four innings, and also shed light on the inconsistent bounce as a good length delivery from Jasprit Bumrahday of the Test. Srikkanth, who was a part-time off-spinner during his playing days, conceded that even he would have been amongst the wickets had he bowled in the first Test.
The 65-year-old questioned the rationale behind the underutilisation of Washington Sundar with the ball. He failed to understand why India went ahead with four spinners and did not give one of them a proper chance to bowl.