IND vs SA, 1st Test in Kolkata, pitch report: Will Eden Gardens wicket offer assistance to spinners?

The IND vs SA first Test in Kolkata begins on November 14, at the Eden Gardens.

Test cricket finally returns to Eden Gardens, Kolkata after a gap of six years. The last time Team India player a match here, was the pink ball encounter against Bangladesh in 2019. Since then a lot has changed in the Indian team, with the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin retiring, and perhaps there could also be a change in the way the wicket behaves here.

Insidesport takes a look at the Eden Gardens pitch report.

Eden Gardens Pitch Report for IND vs SA 1st Test

Traditionally, the Kolkata pitch has been good for batting and bowling both, with pacers getting a bit of assistance initially, and then favoring the spinners. IN all likelihood, the nature of the wicket will remain the same. As per reports, there will be a bit of grass, which will stay. There will also be decent bounce and carry.

Chief curator Sujan Mukherjee says..

Curator Mukherjee told RevSportz, that there will be turn on offer on the wicket, but it won’t turn abruptly. “It will turn, but not that abruptly. They (Indian management) wanted it to spin, but I can’t offer much of it here. I reassured them, ‘you will get a good wicket, it will turn , you don’t need to worry about it’.”

He also said, that he prepared the wicket in a way, that the Indian team gets some help. “When I make the wicket for the Indian team, I give some favour to them in whatever way I can,” he added.

India Predicted XI

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (WK), Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.