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Former India captain Anil Kumble said he was confused by coach Gautam Gambhirs claim that the Eden Gardens pitch was exactly what India wanted after the team lost to South Africa in just three days in the first Test at Kolkata. India were bowled out for 93 in their second innings on a pitch that offered a lot of spin and uneven bounce. Gambhir however defended the pitch after the match which left Kumble puzzled. If you look back at the legacy of Eden Gardens there have been so many Test matches that have been played. Ive been coming here since I was an Under-19 kid and Ive never had a pitch that behaved like this over the three days in a Test match Kumble said on JioHotstar after the match. I did listen to what Gautam said he did mention about the fact that the team wanted something like this. Then Im a bit confused because I know this is a young side. Anil Kumble highlighted Indias recent tour of England where Rohit Sharma’s team played all five Tests in tough conditions and managed a 2-2 draw as proof that this squad can handle more even and fair pitches. When you want your young side to grow which they did exceptionally well in England on really tough conditions good cricketing conditions they fought really well 2-all draw. Then when you come here Im sure they would have done exceptionally well in similar conditions. You need to give them the confidence to continue to score runs. The batters need to feel confident of scoring hundreds. For bowlers it needs to be challenging. The wickets will come. They are all skilful bowlers Kumble said. Before Kumble shared his thoughts Gambhir told the media that the pitch was not as hard as people thought and that both fast bowlers and spinners could play well on it. He said India’s loss was more about mindset and focus than the pitch itself. See how many wickets the pacers took Gambhir said. I dont think it was such a tough pitch. It is a pitch that challenged technique and temperament. Whoever defended well managed to score runs. The India coach was also clear when asked about the team’s strategy on Day 3 saying that the pitch was exactly what the players and management had requested the ground staff to make. The point is you should know how to play turn. This is what we asked for and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive and I still believe that regardless of how the wicket was 123 was chaseable. I felt that if you were willing to put your head down and if you have a solid defence if you have the temperament you can definitely score and it might not be a wicket which is going to be very very flambant where you can play those big shots but if youre willing to put your head down definitely its a wicket where you can score. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. This is exactly the pitch and I feel that as I just mentioned before that the curator was very helpful and this is exactly what we wanted and this is exactly what we got. When you dont play well this is what happens. Gautam Gambhir said that if India had won people would not have questioned their tactics or team choices. Kumble disagreed saying the pitch would have been examined closely no matter who won. If India had won would we have raised so many objections to the pitch? Yes we would have certainly asked do you need this kind of a pitch for the team to win? We keep saying that. So I think its a matter of how you look at it because theres been a legacy of playing at Eden Gardens and then theres a sort of constant chatter about Test cricket needs to be played in Test match centres the regular centres. I mean over three days we had 110000 people come and watch the game. So thats what you want. You dont want empty stands and you want people to come and be a part of this exhibition. And I think Indian cricket certainly is at the level where they can compete on any surface doesnt really matter. Theres enough talent in the changing room Kumble said.