Eden Gardens gets 'Satisfactory' verdict from ICC, escapes Sanction like MCG

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The ICC match referee Richie Richardson has labelled a "satisfactory" label on the Eden Gardens surface from last month's first Test between India and South Africa, dodging any penalties for the track that crumbled in under three days.

This middling verdict-sandwiched between "very good" and "unsatisfactory" in the ICC's four-grade scale-comes amid fresh scrutiny on pitches after the MCG's Boxing Day Ashes clash earned a demerit for its two-day farce.

From ball one, Kolkata's strip delivered erratic bounce and escalating spin, turbocharging both pacers and tweakers. South Africa's Simon Harmer and Marco Jansen tore through the lineups, while Jasprit Bumrah snared a five-fer on day one. No side crossed 200 runs, and India's chase of 124 imploded at 93 all out.

The pitch sparked endless debate. India coach Gautam Gambhir initially defended it as "just what we wanted," shielding curator Sujan Mukherjee. But batting coach Sitanshu Kotak later spilt that they were blindsided by the bounce and hadn't prepped for such a beast. Fast-forward to Guwahati's more even keel, where South Africa clinched a 2-0 series sweep anyway.

Eden Gardens pitch will be in focus again as the T20 World Cup 2026 returns to Kolkata in a couple of months. England, Bangladesh and Italy are set to play group stage matches. India, if they qualify for the Super 8 stage, will also play at the Eden Gardens.

Recently, the Melbourne Cricket Ground got an 'Unsatisfactory' verdict from ICC after the latest Ashes match, which ended in two days. After the verdict, the MCG ground received one demerit point.