CAB curator reveals planning for South Africa Test in November

India will face South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the first Test of the two-match series in November. The iconic venue is all set to host a Test match for the first time since India's first-ever pink-ball contest in November 2019 against Bangladesh.

The second Test between India and the West Indies was originally set to be hosted in Kolkata in October. However, that game has been shifted to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed the alteration alongside a slew of changes in the 2024-25 home season.

According to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) brass, the BCCI's decision to swap India's Tests against the West Indies and South Africa between Delhi and Kolkata is a sort of "compensation" for Eden Gardens, as it could not host the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final, which was shifted to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad due to adverse weather forecast in Kolkata.

The last two Test matches at the Eden Gardens - India versus Sri Lanka in 2017, and the one between India and Bangladesh in 2019, saw the fast bowlers getting a decent amount of help from the surface. However, considering the quality of the South African seamers, India might opt for a spin-friendly track to get some home advantage.

"A good track with a decent bit of grass content will be prepared," Eden curator Sujan Mukherjee told The Telegraph on Tuesday, June 10. 

"It was learnt that two of the middle pitches will be readied for the Test. "The pitches will not be re-laid, but top-dressing the surfaces is important to enhance the overall pitch health," Mukherjee said.

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Top-dressing a pitch involves the application of a mixture of sand and soil to the surface, which also leads to better grass cover.

The Eden curator is also confident of dealing with the situation if there are requests from the Indian team management to prepare for a spin-friendly pitch.

The 22 yards aside, the Eden outfield will also be going through a little bit of coring so that it looks "even more lush green", Mukherjee added.