SouravGanguly stated that the BCCI curators prepared the Eden Gardens pitch

For the South Africa test in Kolkata, Ganguly said BCCI curators prepared the pitch; he also supported GautamGambhir.

Former India captain and the current Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) presidentSouravGangulyclarified that it was not the state association but the BCCI-appointed curators who took control of the Eden Gardens pitch four days before the India-South Africa Test match, which ended within three days.

SouravGanguly states that BCCI-appointed curators took control of the Eden Gardens pitch.

India failed to chase 124 in the 4th innings and drew flak for the challenging surface that offered sharp turn and unpredictable bounce from the opening session. The batting line-up struggled with runs coming at a premium throughout the game. In the Test match, South Africa’s captain, Temba Bavuma, was the only batter to get a half-century. SouravGanguly spoke about the pitch, saying that the CAB had no direct role in preparing the final surface once the BCCI team took over. When asked whether the Indian team management consulted him before preparing the pitch, Ganguly said, “No, no, I don’t get involved at all. Curators from the BCCI come and take over the wickets four days before the Test match. We have our own curator (Sujan Mukherjee) as well, who’s done exceptionally well for a long time. The requests are made, and you keep the requests. That’s what it is.” He acknowledged the pitch “was not the greatest” and reiterated that India should back its quality by playing on better, more balanced surfaces at home.

More on what SouravGanguly says on the matter.

He said, “It was not the greatest, I’ll have to completely admit, and I think the top-order batting, the middle-order batting, you know, deserves a better cricketing surface. It was a full house at Eden Gardens for those three days, and I completely believe that GautamGambhir and his team in India must play on much better wickets than what they played at Eden Gardens.” He added, “Sometimes it is beyond our control, and we try and keep the request of the team and the coach and the captain. And that is what we do, so that’s what it is. And you’ve heard GautamGambhir say after the game that he wanted that sort of a pitch and was given that sort of a pitch. So you keep the captain and the coach’s request.”

Supporting Team India head coach GautamGambhir.

Ganguly dismissed suggestions that head coach Gambhir should be removed from his role. He said, “There is no question of sacking GautamGambhir at this stage,” praising both Gambhir and captainShubman Gill for their “exceptional” performance in England. He concluded, “Gautam as a coach and Shubman as a captain did exceptionally well in England on good batting pitches, and I firmly believe that they can do well in India as well.”