Michael Vaughan didn’t mince his words when he criticised the Eden Gardens pitch during the first Test between India and South Africa, calling it “awful” as 26 wickets fell in just two days. With the match hurtling toward a likely three-day finish, the surface in Kolkata has come under heavy scrutiny.
Ravindra Jadeja was the star of Day 2, scalping four wickets to leave South Africa struggling at 93/7 in their second innings by stumps on November 15. His precise control and relentless accuracy made him nearly unplayable on a pitch marked with unpredictably exploding cracks.
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Earlier, Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer combined for seven wickets to bowl India out for 189 in their first innings. The surface, which has offered variable bounce and sharp turn since Day 1, has become a nightmare for right-handed batters. Former India skipper Anil Kumble, commenting on the game, remarked that left-handers have a slight advantage as “there are no cracks on their side of the wicket.”
Awful pitch in Kolkata … #INDvSA
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 15, 2025
I am all for a pitch favouring the bowler but this Kolkata pitch is an absolute shocker #INDvSA
— SA Cricket Podcast (@sacricketpod) November 15, 2025
Right-handers like Dhruv Jurel, Aiden Markram, and Wiaan Mulder were among those undone by the pitch’s tricky behaviour, falling victim to Jadeja’s accuracy and Harmer’s drift.
Cricket fans took to social media to voice their frustrations. “I am all for pitches that favour bowlers, but this Kolkata pitch is an absolute shocker,” one fan tweeted. Another compared it to the infamous Ahmedabad pitch against England, saying, “Every second ball is jumping or shooting.”
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While Harmer’s classical off-spin had pushed the Proteas back into contention earlier, Jadeja proved too strong on a deteriorating surface. His ability to consistently hit the stumps made him the biggest threat on a pitch that could define the Test—and possibly the series.
