NEW DELHI: India’s shocking 30-run defeat to South Africa while chasing just 124 has sparked a major debate — are captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir aligned on what ideal home pitches should look like? The batting collapse, India’s lowest unsuccessful chase at home, has exposed deeper issues than what a dry Eden Gardens surface can hide.Only last month, ahead of the West Indies Test series in Ahmedabad, Gill had firmly stated that the team had moved away from preparing “rank turners”.“…we would be looking to play on wickets that offer both to the batsmen and to the bowlers,” Gill had said, stressing a new approach of balance in home conditions.However, India began their series against the reigning World Test champions on a pitch that contradicted their captain’s stated philosophy.The Eden Gardens wicket was reportedly left unwatered for over a week and kept under covers each evening. The outcome was a dry, crumbly pitch that deteriorated from the first session itself. The match finished inside eight sessions, with 38 wickets falling — spinners claiming 22 and pacers 16.
While Gill said the team has moved on from rank turners, the evidence in Kolkata said otherwise. Gambhir, however, remained firm and made it clear this was the surface they had planned for.“If you don’t play well this is what happens. There were no demons in the wicket,” he asserted.Players may argue differently. Aiden Markram was undone by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery that kicked from a good length in the very first hour. KL Rahul fell to a Marco Jansen ball that rose awkwardly in the fourth innings. Those dismissals didn’t look “demon-free”.Gambhir maintained that it was the seamers who did most of the damage.“Ultimately, if we had won this Test match, you wouldn’t even be talking about this pitch,” he said in his usual combative style.The messaging gap, however, is evident. Gill had asked for balance. The coach wanted exactly what transpired. The captain didn’t even get to play owing to neck spasms that needed hospitalisation, putting him in doubt for the second Test in Guwahati from November 22.CAPTAIN RULED OUT, BATTERS EXPOSEDGill took no part beyond day 1 owing to the neck spasm sustained while playing a slog-sweep boundary off Simon Harmer. In his absence, Indian batting displayed neither discipline nor adaptability.India have now lost four of their last six Tests at home — a trend that has shred the aura of invincibility that the team enjoyed in its backyard.Under Gambhir, India have eight wins from 18 Tests — four of them have come against lowly Bangladesh and West Indies.The script here resembled India’s 0-3 humiliation against New Zealand at home last year, a series in which Ajaz Patel (11 in Mumbai), Mitchell Santner (13 in Pune) exposed the side’s frailties on turning tracks.That series derailed India’s World Test Championship run, and the Eden defeat now sits in the same bracket.This loss also flipped India’s WTC standings. South Africa climbed to third with two wins in three; India dropped to fourth with just two wins in eight Tests in the new cycle.PITCH FIXATIONFrom the moment India landed in Kolkata on Tuesday, the focus was obsessively on the pitch. Meetings with curator Sujan Mukherjee became frequent. Historically rich in memorable Tests — including the iconic 2001 Laxman-Dravid miracle — Eden hosted a surface that drew even Harbhajan Singh’s ire.“They have completely destroyed Test cricket. RIP Test cricket,” Harbhajan said.Cheteshwar Pujara dismissed talk of transition as excuse-making.“Losing at home cannot be accepted, transition or not,” he said.India had the Test in their pocket at stumps on day two. South Africa were 93/7, effectively 63 ahead, with Temba Bavuma on 29 (78 balls) and debutant Corbin Bosch on 1.Conditions on a Kolkata morning typically favour seam with cool breeze from the Ganges. Common sense demanded that Bumrah start at the Club House End, where he took a first-innings five-for.Instead, he was introduced as late as the ninth over from the other end and by then Bosch looked settled, Bavuma had grown roots, and the lead stretched past the psychological 100-run mark.Bavuma’s unbeaten 55 eventually was the difference.INDIAN BATTING IMPLOSIONThis defeat is not an isolated collapse.It mirrors tactical confusion, and over-curated pitches, without batting depth to sustain it.After Guwahati — where they now cannot win the series regardless of result — India will not play at home till the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in January 2027.Before that, they tour Sri Lanka (August) and New Zealand (October next year) and their task is cut out in the WTC campaign now.(With inputs from PTI)
