Overview
- Cricket Association of Bengal president Sourav Ganguly said the Indian team management has not asked for a rank-turning wicket for Friday’s opening Test against South Africa.
- Head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak inspected the Eden Gardens pitch on Monday, with Gambhir described as happy with the wicket.
- CAB curator Sujan Mukherjee said the pitch has not been watered since Saturday and forecast assistance for spinners from around day three on what he called a sporting surface.
- Eden Gardens returns to Test cricket for the first time since 2019, with strong demand reported as 34,000 priced tickets for the early days have sold out.
- CAB plans ceremonial touches including the Dalmiya Memorial Lecture featuring Sunil Gavaskar and a special toss coin, as South Africa’s respected spin group shapes pre-match planning.