The Test match at the Eden Gardens presented many challenges from the preparation of pitch to selection of Test venue and from the art of swing or spin bowling to getting the umpire's nod for lbw to an off spinner bowling round the wicket.
It is this aspect of lbw that has ignited debate among the spinners and raised discussions over the interesting theory of an off spinner bowling round the wicket and getting lbw. From the 60s until very recently, no international umpire would even consider if an off spinner appealed for lbw bowling from round the wicket.
At Kolkata, umpires were amazingly quick in raising the finger for declaring a batsman lbw to Harbhajan Singh. If a batsman lunges full forward, gets hit on the knee roll, the questions are the angle and height because the ball has to travel eight feet.
Bedi, Venkataraghavan and Prasanna can't fathom how an umpire can even consider the appeal of an off spinner bowling from that angle.
Venkataraghavan having been an offie himself, had the benefit of officiating 74 Tests as an umpire and is in a position to analyse the situation better.
Prasanna and Bedi don't remember getting lbw on the front foot.
Ammunition
That India managed to get more lbw's against the South Africans is not the issue, but these three great bowlers have enough ammunition to prove that such decisions need a rethink. It's this kind of debate that the cricket committee of the ICC should encourage among these three top spinners.
Notwithstanding this question, the swing bowling that one witnessed in both the Tests was of top quality. To the young Indian pacers and the decision makers in the selection process who are speed-obsessed, it's a lesson that swing with pace is what matters. Lack of either takes you nowhere.
Playing on the front foot on Indian pitches and piling up tons of runs in the domestic championship is not the ideal formula to succeed at the Test level.
As regards the pitch at the Eden Gardens it was conducive to good quality cricket and this has proved that when you don't fiddle with the normal process of preparation of pitch for a five day match, it turns a good surface.
But that's not the reason why large number of spectators turned up everyday. Test cricket always belonged to Eden Gardens.
Typical atmosphere
A Test match has to have an atmosphere and some of the best places that offer this environment are the Brabourne Stadium, Eden Gardens, Chepauk and Chinnaswamy Stadium. These grounds breathe typical cricketing atmosphere.
Over some decades these grounds have been part of history.
The sensational wins, some breathtaking knocks, brilliant stuff from the quartet of world class Indian spinners assisted by agile close in fielders, these venues have a lot of sentimental and nostalgic value, not to mention the cricket-breathing audience.
It's all right to have more cricketing venues in the country but why have a Test match played at a venue which has no historical perspective.
Take cricket to these venues with One day and T20 but definitely not with Test cricket. It will only hasten the exit of Test cricket. A three Test series against the Australians later this year would be the perfect way to go about it.
