Former India batsman Mohammad Kaif singled out Rishabh Pant’s captaincy as a major factor in India’s defeat to South Africa in the Eden Gardens Test, while pointing to the wider impact of Shubman Gill’s injury and India’s lack of batting resilience during the 124-run chase.
Gill’s neck injury sustained during India’s first innings left the team without its regular captain for almost the entire Test. The incident occurred when he appeared to experience whiplash after playing a move. Shortly after, he left injured and was taken to a private hospital with a cervical collar for a preventive examination.
With Gill not available on the field, Pant has taken over the leadership duties and Kaif believes the stand-in skipper struggled to adapt quickly enough in a game shaped heavily by rotation and small margins.
“We gave them too many singles. Is it easy to score against four spinners on spin? Keep the middle, raise the point and ask the batsmen to accept the challenge. The fielders were behind and 70-80% of their runs came in singles. Pant stayed in the field and Gill was not there and that also had an effect. It also took him some time to understand things in his channel,” Kaif.
Kaif also pointed out that India missed Gill’s presence both tactically and with the bat. As India set out to chase 124, the batting line-up faltered on a surface that required composure and shot selection. Only Washington Sundar and Axar Patel showed real fluency, playing against the South African spinners with a clearer plan. The rest of the line-up struggled for timing, footwork and patience, resulting in India being bowled out for 93, their second lowest chase at home.
“It would have made a difference if Gill had been there. He couldn’t have played both innings. If we had got a better lead, say 50, 60 or 100 runs, we would have knocked South Africa out of the game itself. It was a mistake. Not having him on the field as captain was also a mistake. He wasn’t there in the chase in the second innings. So there is definitely one form of direct link, just like Gill there is definitely one form of direct link at the moment. can save in such situations,” he added.
Gill was released the following day and later returned to the team hotel where an early medical assessment suggested encouraging progress. He is expected to go with the team to Guwahati ahead of the second test, although his participation remains uncertain and will depend on how he responds to rehabilitation and light-weight tests over the next few days.
India now head to Guwahati where they need both better decision-making and more resilient batting if they hope to level the series.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
November 17, 2025
