Eden wicket will assist batsmen: Ganguly

Former India captain and presently Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday said the pitch at the Eden Gardens which will host the third T20 International between India and South Africa will be "batting friendly."

"It is a good wicket, a batting friendly one," Ganguly told reporters here on Tuesday.

Asked if spinners would prove decisive on the wicket, the 43-year-old was quick to rretort: "Why are you asking me now? The series is done and dusted."

Ganguly was seen conversing with head pitch curator Prabir Mukherjee in the evening and walked around the field with other CAB officials to see how arrangements were being made.

Later Mukherjee too echoed the same sentiments as Ganguly's, saying the wicket will favour the willowers.

"Definitely, it will favour the batsmen. It also depends on the weather. If it rains we are equipped to restart a match again," Mukherjee said.

However, Eden is not likely to have a full crowd as the game is a dead rubber with the visitors claiming the first two matches in Dharamsala and Cuttack.

"You never know with Eden Gardens, but a packed stadium is unlikely. We can still expect 40,000 to 45,000 fans," a CAB senior official said.