Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir once expressed his unhappiness at the side playing on turning pitches at home, resulting in Test matches ending in under three days. His remarks came after the 2022-23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) at home saw the first three Tests finish without even going the fourth day.The hosts won the opening two Tests but suffered a surprising defeat in the third, heading into the series finale at Ahmedabad.When asked about the quick end to the matches ahead of the fourth Test, Gambhir said on India Today:"I feel, yes, playing on turning tracks is fine, but I won't appreciate Test matches finishing in 2.5 days. We want to see tight finishes, like the one we saw in the New Zealand vs England Test. (If a Test goes to) 4th or 5th day, it is fine. But 2.5 days is too short."He also defended the Indian batters despite their struggles against spin in the series, saying:"People like (Cheteshwar) Pujara, (Virat) Kohli, Rohit Sharma are good players of spin bowling. If they weren't, they won't have played in 100 Tests. You have to be very good player of spin and fast bowling to reach that mark. One thing that has changed is that the DRS has played a massive role."Surprisingly, the fourth Test in Ahmedabad saw a pitch that was the polar opposite of the first three outings. In a batter-friendly wicket, both sides scored in excess of 450 in their first innings, with the game ultimately ending in a draw.Gautam Gambhir defended the Kolkata pitch for the India-South Africa 1st Test 2025Fast forward to the present, and Gautam Gambhir defended the Eden Gardens pitch after India and South Africa played a thrilling first Test that lasted only two-and-a-half days. The Team India head coach admitted that the side received exactly the pitch they had asked for from the curator.In his press conference after the series opener yesterday, Gambhir said (via ICC):"This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. This is exactly the pitch. And I feel that the curator was very, very helpful. And this is exactly what we wanted. And this is exactly what we got. When you don't play well, this is what happens. The point is that you should be able to know how to play turn. And this is what we asked for, and this is what we got. I thought the curator was very supportive."While the Proteas were bowled out for just over 150 in both their innings, India got shot out for 189 in their first essay before falling for an embarrassing 93 in the second.