“Rest in peace, Indian cricket”- Harbhajan Singh says even Tendulkar or Kohli wouldn’t survive on Kolkata pitch

Harbhajan Singh mentioned batting greats Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and stated that even they would’ve struggled to bat on the pitch that was prepared for the first Test between India and South Africa in Kolkata that the hosts lost by 30 runs.

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India failed to chase a 124-run target as South African spinners spun a web around the host batters, bowling them out for 93 runs as Simon Harmer took 8 wickets in the match.

The Indian team management's choice to create such a surface was heavily criticized since the Kolkata Test finished in just two sessions on Day 3. Harbhajan Singh, a former spinner for India, criticized the curator, calling this the end of Test cricket.

Harbhajan claimed on his YouTube channel that these pitches are unnecessary because they detract from the longest format's beauty. Even players like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar won't be able to play in such conditions, he continued.

"Test cricket has been completely RIP-ed. Rest in peace. I don't think anything is left of Test cricket... at least Indian Test cricket. In England, the matches were fantastic. We praised how the pitches behaved there and how the boys won matches. That was real Test cricket—there was thrill, and you could feel the effort. But this? These pitches are bad," Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

"Wherever you bowl, the ball is turning unpredictably. The batter has no clue what to do. No matter how good your technique is—even if you are Sachin Tendulkar or Virat Kohli—you won't survive on such pitches. One ball will shoot up, another will stay low, another will spin absurdly, and you'll get out. Skill doesn't matter here; only the pitch is deciding everything. And this isn't new. This has been happening for years," he added.

It remains to be seen how the pitch at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati will play out, where India and South Africa will clash in the second Test from November 22.

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