Wasim Jaffer's Advice to Gautam Gambhir: Go Back to Kohli-Era Pitches

Ex-India Batter Wasim Jaffer Asks Gautam Gambhir to Revert to 'Classic Indian Pitches' After Kolkata Loss

India lost to South Africa by 30 runs at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens in less than three days, failing to chase a target of 124 runs in the absence of Shubman Gill. Following the defeat, the former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer advised Team India’s coach, Gautam Gambhir, to return to the pitches that were used during Virat Kohli’s captaincy between 2016 and 2020. 

Wasim Jaffer's Critique and Call for Change

Following India's loss in the first Test against South Africa, Wasim Jaffer offered strong criticism. He took a subtle dig at the comments made by Gautam Gambhir regarding pitch conditions. Jaffer suggested that the current Indian team should reconsider its strategy. His advice was for the team to go back to playing on pitches that offer a bit more for everyone.

Jaffer shared on X (previously Twitter), “Looks like we haven’t learned our lesson from the NZ series loss. The gap between our spinners and opposition spinners reduces on pitches like this. We need to go back to classic Indian pitches, like the ones in the 2016-17 season when Virat was captain and England and New Zealand toured. #INDvSA”

Gambhir's Defense and the Growing Pitch Controversy

Gautam Gambhir has been a vocal defender of home advantage and pitch preparation. His defense often stems from the necessity of leveraging conditions to win. The pitch controversy intensified following India's recent Test defeat.

The Indian coach responded, saying, “This is what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. There were no demons or not unplayable.” He further added, “Axar, Temba, Washington made runs. If you say this is a turning wicket, majority wickets were taken by seamers.

Gautam Gambhir had previously dismissed the idea of 'sporting wickets' in home conditions. His stance is that visiting teams should face the difficult conditions. He advocates for maximum home advantage, even if it means preparing surfaces heavily biased towards spin. 

This is a common strategy employed by most Test-playing nations globally. However, the recent loss on a challenging pitch fueled further debate, and the controversy keeps growing with every home loss.