India’s heavy defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens has reopened the long-running debate around the team’s approach to home conditions. The match was played on a surface that offered substantial turn and variable bounce from the opening day, creating an unpredictable contest that ultimately hurt India more than their opponents.

Batting second, India managed only a small lead and later collapsed for 93 while chasing 124 — their second-lowest failed chase at home. The absence of captain Shubman Gill, who suffered a neck injury in the first innings , added to the pressure on a batting lineup already struggling on extreme turners.

The controversy intensified when head coach Gautam Gambhir confirmed after the match that the surface had been prepared on the team’s

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