India’s latest collapse on the turning pitch of Eden Gardens has reopened old conversations about their batting methods at home, with Cheteshwar Pujara stressing that the team must adapt quickly if they are to avoid repeated failures. India scored 93 in their chase of 124 against South Africa – their third-lowest fourth innings score in Tests – as uneven bounce and sharp turns again exposed technical and tactical gaps.
The defeat that gave South Africa their first Test win in India in 15 years, it also raised questions about how the hosts approached the conditions they were expected to dominate. Speaking to JioHotstar, Pujara said that the focus should not be on what kind of pitch the team management demanded, but how India prepared and responded to the surface they received.
India vs. South Africa 1st Test Day 3 Highlights
“I believe first of all we don’t know if the team management really wanted that kind of pitch. But whatever the surface is, you have to perform on it and you have to be very well prepared. I would say we should have bowled a bit better and batted better at the same time. Unfortunately, we were missing one batsman. Shubman Gill got injured in the first innings because the Indian team was not available in the second innings,” said Pujara.
He felt that India lacked both execution and adaptability, especially with the bat, on a wicket that required proactive footwork and a wider range of scoring options.
“But the Indian batsmen will have to find a way to score on such pitches. If the Indian team ends up playing more matches on surfaces like this, where will the scoring opportunities come from? That is something that needs to be discussed in a team meeting. The batting coach will also have to talk to the batsmen. They need to use their feet, play smash and play a bit more positively under pressure on the Indian balls. That’s what they are going to do in this particular Test match.” he added.
Regardless of the discussion on the field, India’s downfall stemmed largely from their own shortcomings in the batting. They failed to build any meaningful partnerships or shift the pressure back to the South African spinners. A surface expected to favor Jadeja, Axar and Kuldeep eventually suited Simon Harmer, who controlled the game with eight wickets. Gill’s absence with a neck injury complicated the chase, but India’s hesitant footwork, lack of scoring options and general passivity played a much bigger role in the collapse than the nature of the wicket.
Gautam Gambhir then insisted that the pitch contained “no demons” and matched the team’s request, yet the defeat fits a worrying trend. India have now lost four of their last six home Tests, a sequence that includes a 0-3 loss to New Zealand last year on similarly challenging tracks. With another spin-friendly surface expected in the next Test, India’s batsmen are once again confronted with the same question: can they adapt their method – not just their mindset – to conditions that require crisp footwork, proactive shot selection and a readiness to seize scoring opportunities?
– The end
Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
November 16, 2025
