'He is talking absurd things' - Kris Srikkanth goes brutal at Gautam Gambhir on pitch remark after loss in Kolkata

Published - 17 Nov 2025, 12:44 IST | Updated - 17 Nov 2025, 13:11 IST

The Indian team faced a disappointing loss at the hands of the visiting South African side in the first Test of the two-match series at the Eden Gardens. On a turning track, India played four spinners, while South Africa picked just two and still won the match to mark their first victory on the Indian soil in fifteen years. However, head coach Gautam Gambhir said that it is exactly the kind of pitch they wanted despite the loss.

After hearing Gambhir backing the pitch at the Eden, former India cricketer and ex-chief selector Kris Srikkanth has slammed the India coach for his absurd assessment of the pitch. The former India opener has said that the wicket had so many things wrong about it, and even he could get wickets had he stuck to a line on a pitch like this.

"This is a horrible record at home. We are playing with full-fledged sides. Gambhir said this is the wicket we asked for but this is not the wicket you should be playing Test cricket on. The ball is turning from the first day. We are doing this for many years and not learning from the mistakes. Everything is wrong with this wicket. Even if I bowled stump to stump on this track I would get a wicket," Srikkanth said via his YouTube channel.

Srikkanth further expressed that the wicket was rather a crappy one, and both the teams struggled big time to score runs or even find comfort in batting at such a surface. The Chennai-born thinks that it is because of the approach and the mindset that the Indians conceded the Test match and are under extreme pressure to save the series now.

"This is a crappy track. You cannot say that you need to apply yourselves on such a crappy track. If not one team is scoring more runs how can it be a good wicket? He is talking absurd things. Everybody is struggling. Both the teams were struggling. Whether he is under pressure or not, I don't know but India is under pressure now," Srikkanth concluded.

Now, the teams will square off in the second and final match of the series, to be played from November 22 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. India face a must-win situation in this encounter to end the series on level terms, as the Proteas have already gained an unassailable lead after an awe-inspiring win in the series-opening clash.