What happened in Kolkata could have remained in Kolkata, but Team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak on Thursday opted for a striking revision of events from the Eden Gardens Test ahead of the second match against South Africa in Guwahati.
Responding to a question on the weakening defences of his team’s batters on turning tracks, the 53-year-old first recounted last weekend’s horrors to slip in the team’s collective change in stance. Defending the nature of the pitch that handed them a stunning 30-run defeat in the series opener, head coach Gautam Gambhir had lamented India’s poor batting exhibition rather than pointing fingers at the pitch and its preparation last Sunday.
But Kotak went into an “honest” recall of events on day three in Kolkata, jumping to Gambhir’s defence and shifting the base of the blame game elsewhere.
“At the press conference after the last match, Gautam (Gambhir) took all the blame on himself. He did that because he felt the blame should not fall on the curator,” Kotak told reporters at the Barsapara Stadium on Thursday, ahead of India’s mandatory practice session.
Agenda-driven comments
He further suggested agendas were in play against the head coach.
“People are just saying Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir… No one is saying that this batsman did this, a certain bowler did that, or maybe I could do something different as a batting coach,” he added.
“From the last 30-35 matches India has played, we have lost just two games or so. No one is giving credit for all the games we won. Based on the two matches that we have lost, everyone’s going ‘Gautam Gambhir, Gautam Gambhir’.
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“Maybe some individuals have some agendas. Good luck to them, but it is very bad,” added Kotak.
The Saurashtra veteran eventually touched upon the spiteful nature of the undercooked Eden pitch, insisting that even the curators did not intend to whip up a strip that would produce 39 wickets within three days.
“After the first day itself [in Kolkata], it felt like it had begun to crumble. The soil was coming off a bit. All of you could see that, but that was unexpected. Even if spin was expected, it was only after three days or on the third evening. Even the curators did not want it. I am telling you the truth. No one wanted it to be like this.”
Playing to strengths
While the Guwahati curator and the ground staff were busy tending to the red-soil pitch with a decent sprinkling of grass inside the venue, Kotak reaffirmed India’s spin stronghold and the team’s continued pitch preferences at home.
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“When we go abroad, be it England or Australia, any country will play to its strengths. In India, we rely on spin. We just need a little spin because spin is our strength.
“But genuinely, you can ask any curator, we have never asked for a [pitch where] the match is over in two days or a square turner,” added Kotak.
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