It's not just going to be about spin – India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate on Eden Gardens pitch

In less than 24 hours, another intense Test rivalry kicks off as India lock horns with South Africa at the Eden Gardens. On the back of a 2-0 whitewash of West Indies at home, Shubman Gill and company will be hopeful of putting up a show for the ages against an in-form Proteas squad.

In the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, India’s fielding coach, Ryan Ten Doeschate, opened up on the pitch conditions in Kolkata, shining some light on how the pitch is expected to behave in the opening Test.

Talking on the wicket, ten Doeschate said, “I think, just from the early looks at the wicket, it looks like a good wicket that should spin later. So yes, it's not just going to be about the spin.”

He further stated, “Importantly, the batters as well, they have to bat really well on the first few days when batting should be slightly easier, and of course, both teams have got quality sets of fast bowlers. So I guess the challenge for both teams is the combinations we go in with.”

Shedding some light on India's approach, Ryan added, “But certainly, we are going to be relying a lot on our seamers to make early inroads in the first couple of days. And I guess that's what you want from a really good Test wicket, where it's not just reliant on one of the facets being too important to the game. But I do think spin is going to be important on this pitch in the long run."