Harbhajan Singh slams Eden Gardens pitch as IND vs SA 1st Test heads for Day 3 finish
Harbhajan Singh sparked a huge controversy by slamming the Kolkata pitch during the IND vs SA 1st Test, declaring “RIP Test Cricket” as the match raced towards the end of Day 3. His scathing assessment reignited concerns about pitch quality, balance between bat and ball and the future of Test cricket.
The Test match between India and South Africa is gearing up for its Day 3 conclusion at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. South Africa are seven wickets down, narrowly ahead by just 63 runs. It would be highly unexpected if the match went beyond the first session of Day 3. The pitch at Eden Gardens has sparked serious controversy. The ball grips the surface, spins sharply and makes it extremely difficult for batters to play. In their first innings, South Africa were bowled out for 159 while India managed to score just 189. At the end of Day 2 the Proteas were on 93-7.
Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh did not hold back in his criticism of the Kolkata ground. “Test cricket India-South Africa match is almost over on day 2, the game is not over yet. #RIPTESTCRICKET what a mockery of test cricket,” he wrote on X.
Test cricket India vs South Africa on day 2 the game is almost over it is not over yet. What a mockery of Test cricket #RIPTESTCRICKET
— Harbhajan Turbanist (@harbhajan_singh) November 15, 2025
Earlier, former England captain Michael Vaughan also criticized the pitch in Kolkata, calling it terrible.
South Africa’s batting coach Ashwell Prince, with India claiming the trophy on the first day of the opening Test in Kolkata on Friday, attributed their difficulties to “inconsistency of bounce” and the “confidence” issues it created on the difficult Eden Gardens surface. Jasprit Bumrah’s impressive five-wicket haul led to South Africa’s dramatic collapse from 57 to 159 without loss in just over two sessions.
“I think the signs were there pretty early on that the bounce wasn’t consistent,” Prince said after opening day play.
“Most of the time, when you expect batsmen to get to 20, 30 and their confidence to increase, I don’t particularly believe that the confidence of any of the batsmen increases because of the inconsistency of the bounce,” Prince said.
The wicket was turning sharply, providing a perfect opportunity for Ravindra Jadeja to increase his wicket tally. Jadeja disrupted the Proteas top order on Day 2 by taking four of the seven wickets that fell. This performance enabled Jadeja to create history as he became the first player worldwide to take the double of 150 wickets and 2500 runs in the World Test Championship (WTC). He accumulated 2532 runs and 150 wickets in 47 WTC matches. The left-handed batsman also became the fourth player to reach 250 wickets in India.
In addition, he became the second player after England’s Stuart Broad to score the double of more than 2000 runs and more than 250 wickets in a single country. He is also the fourth cricketer to score 4,000 runs and take more than 300 wickets in Test cricket. Jadeja achieved this milestone in 88 matches, making him the second fastest to achieve this feat.
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