Cheteshwar Pujara weighs in on the Eden pitch row; says, 'Indian batters need to use their feet...'

The India–South Africa opener in Kolkata has sparked intense debate among fans and experts over the pitch prepared.

The Eden Gardens surface has drawn heavy criticism during the opening Test between India and South Africa. By the time the final hour of Day 2 arrived, an astonishing 24 wickets had already tumbled in the series opener at the historic Kolkata ground.

Fans and experts have slammed Eden pitch for 'killing' the test match

Cheteshwar Pujara recently weighed in on the issue and emphasised the need for the players to adapt quickly to prevent repeated collapses. India were bowled out for just 93 while chasing 124, their third-lowest fourth-innings total in Test history as uneven bounce and vicious turn once again exposed both technical flaws and tactical shortcomings.

The loss which resulted in South Africa’s first Test victory on Indian soil in 15 years also prompted scrutiny of how the hosts handled conditions. In a conversation with JioHotstar, Pujara stressed that the debate shouldn’t center on what type of pitch the team management had asked for, but rather on how India trained for and adapted to the surface they ultimately got.

“I believe that, firstly, we don’t know whether the team management actually wanted such a pitch. But whatever the surface is, you need to perform on it and you need to be very well-prepared. I would say we should have bowled slightly better and, at the same time, batted better. Unfortunately, we were short of one batter. Shubman Gill got injured in the first innings and wasn’t available in the second innings as well. That was a big loss for the Indian team," Pujara said.

Pujara commented that India were lacking both in execution and in adaptability and how remarked on how the batters should approach conditions such as these.

“But the Indian batters will have to find a way to score runs on such pitches. If the Indian team ends up playing more matches on surfaces like this, then where do the scoring opportunities come from? That is something that needs to be discussed in the team meeting. The batting coach will also have to speak to the batters. They need to use their feet, play the sweep shot, and play a little more positively on such pitches. You need to put the bowler under pressure, and that is something the Indian batters failed to do in this particular Test match.” he added.

Gautam Gambhir maintained after the match that the pitch had “no demons” and aligned with what the team had requested, yet the result adds to a troubling pattern.

India have now dropped four of their last six home Tests, a run that includes last year’s 0–3 defeat to New Zealand on similarly demanding surfaces. With another spin-friendly wicket expected for the next match, India’s batters face the familiar challenge once more.

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