Sunil Gavaskar has come out in support of Team India’s head coach Gautam Gambhir amid the ongoing controversy over the Eden Gardens pitch used in the series opener against South Africa. The match was played on a turning track, one which had Gambhir’s backing. He had requested the pitch curator to prepare a turning wicket, but the plan backfired as the Indian batters failed to cope with rival spinners while chasing 124 in the fourth innings.

No Indian batter scored a fifty in the first Test, while South Africa captain Temba Bavuma managed an unbeaten 55 in the second innings. Gavaskar didn’t find anything wrong in Gambhir’s stance on the Kolkata pitch, saying the loss had more to do with batters failing to adapt than the pitch. He felt that a target of 124 was chasable regardless of the pitch.

“I totally agree with Gautam Gambhir. 124 was gettable on this track. There was no question about it,” Sunil Gavaskar told India Today.

“People are talking about the pitch, but it is important to look at what Simon Harmer did. He mixed his deliveries well. He bowled straight and got the odd one to turn,” he added.

The Indian team management had told the curator not to water the pitch for four days. The decision to request such a track was lambasted by former players and experts.

Gavaskar mentioned that the defeat had little to do with the pitch. He highlighted the fact that the pitch behaved typically like a Day 3 track.

“There was no vicious turn on offer. You needed to bat as if you were playing a five-day Test instead of a fifty-over contest or a T20I. The target of 124 should have been chased with at least five wickets remaining with the kind of batter India had in the team.”

“I agree with Gautam Gambhir that there was nothing wrong with the pitch. The odd ball turned.”

He further added that the poor technique and temperament of the Indian batters led to their dismissals.

“People are calling it a turning track. There was nothing vicious. Poor technique and temperament issues led to the defeat.”