KOLKATA: The turnaround could be a major factor at Eden Gardens when India take on South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series starting Friday. And who better than Jasprit Bumrah to swing the old red ball late on? The black soil is quite hard, without much grass, four days before the start of the test and, according to experts, there is no indication that these characters will change radically during this period.“Cracks are likely to appear here quite early, making the ball rough as the game progresses,” an expert told TOI. “This should help turn the tide, which Bumrah will appreciate.”
However, India will be aware that South Africa also have bowlers capable of making the old ball speak and all conditions will surely not be one-sided. “The wicket has a consistent bounce and that will help the batters. In fact, it has all the makings of a good batting wicket,” he said.However, it can work for both teams. As South Africa proved in the ‘A’ match in Bengaluru, they have batters who can also exploit good conditions. Temba Bavuma had a good outing in Bengaluru. Zubayr Humza too. And let’s not forget Aiden Markram and Tony de Zorzi, who have the skills to negotiate Bumrah’s wiles. Shubman GilRishabh Pant and KL Rahul won’t be the only quality batters.
As the curators bounced the ball on the surface to test its consistency, one of them suddenly stayed low. “It was a crack, which will be repaired before the Test,” assured the expert.Although the wicket is expected to offer spin, it will not be a rank turner. Although India’s spin attack is currently among the most fearsome in the game, South Africa also have their own arsenal in Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer. India may have to approach this match a little differently than how they did against the West Indies.Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak took a look at the Eden wicket on Monday morning. However, they did not offer any suggestions or guidelines. “They looked closely, chatted among themselves and left,” a ground staff member said. “They didn’t tell us anything.”Gambhir, however, had not been too happy with the wicket in his last Test against the West Indies in Delhi. The wicket had been slower and Gambhir felt there should have been a bit more carry. The Eden curators ensure a better box office with “something for everyone”. This would make the batters as well as the bowlers happy. After all, it’s a balanced match that makes a match interesting.The expert also assured that it would not be a three-day wicket. “We should see a real five-day competition,” he said. Apparently, some of the recent matches that lasted less than three days (the Ahmedabad Test against West Indies to name one) have not gone down well with the broadcasters. They complained to the BCCI about the loss of income. The board has reportedly asked the host associations to make wickets that last the entire distance. “Even if this cannot be guaranteed, conservatives always try to make wickets that do not break too quickly.”Another issue at Eden will be light. At this time of year the light starts to fade here around 4 p.m. and a 9:30 a.m. start would mean the floodlights might need to be turned on towards the end. “It could change the conditions a little,” the expert said.
