Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers believes India head coach Gautam Gambhir may have indirectly criticized his own players with his comments at the controversial Eden Gardens after India’s 30-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test in Kolkata this week.
The match ended over three days on a pitch that offered uneven bounce, sharp turn and constant help to both spinners and fast bowlers. South Africa took full advantage of the toss victory and rode on the eight wickets of off-spinner Simon Harmer to secure a famous victory. after losing Gambhir defended the nature of the wicket and said that was exactly what the Indian team had asked the curators to prepare. He insisted that a strong defensive technique would still allow batsmen to score.
The pitch was extremely difficult to bat on and no player except South Africa captain Temba Bavuma managed a fifty. Gambhir reiterated after the match that Kolkata’s surface was “exactly what the Indian team wanted”. De Villiers believes the remark indicated the coach’s disappointment with his own dressing room.
“Before I could blink, the Test match was over. Just the kind of wicket India wanted, says Indian coach Gautam Gambhir. Very interesting comments. Maybe he’s testing the players and saying ‘We prepared this, why didn’t we deliver’?” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers said the thinly veiled remark showed that Gambhir was unhappy with the level of performance. The former South Africa captain also said that India’s long dominance at home has been waning in recent years.
“There has been an interesting trend in India over the last three to five years. Obviously, it is very difficult to beat India at home, but things have changed over the last three to five years,” he said. “Some concerns about India. They’ve lost four games there and that’s unheard of. What’s going on here? Have they become worse spin players? I don’t think so. The opposition are more prepared and understand the conditions.”
De Villiers added that India may have to rethink the type of pitches they ask for in home Tests.
“Perhaps India will have to change the pitches and not ask for turners. Rather make it a fair Test pitch that will last at least four days,” he said.
South Africa now head into the second Test with a 1-0 series lead, while India face scrutiny over their batting, their approach to home conditions and the message sent by Gambhir’s post-match comments.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
November 20, 2025
