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Pujara's Warning: Why India's Batting Collapse Raises Serious Questions

India suffered a disappointing 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens. Former batter Cheteshwar Pujara emphasized the need for better adaptation to challenging pitches. He pointed out that Shubman Gill's injury absence significantly hurt the team's batting depth. The batting coach must now work with players on improving their approach against spin bowling.

Key Points: Pujara Urges Indian Batters to Adapt After Test Defeat

  • India collapsed to 93 all out chasing 124 against South Africa's bowling attack
  • Shubman Gill's absence due to neck injury weakened the batting lineup
  • Pujara suggests batters need better footwork and shot selection on spin pitches
  • India has lost four of their last six home Test matches following this defeat
2 min read

1st Test: Indian batters will have to find a way to score runs on such pitches, says Pujara

Former batter Cheteshwar Pujara says India must find ways to score on difficult pitches after 30-run loss to South Africa in first Test at Eden Gardens.

"The Indian batters will have to find a way to score runs on such pitches - Cheteshwar Pujara"

Kolkata, Nov 16

Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara said the batting unit needs to find ways to adapt better and score runs on difficult pitches after suffering a 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens on Sunday.

In a challenging chase of 124, India could not answer the questions posed by South Africa’s bowlers, led by Simon Harmer’s 4-21, and were all out for 93 in 35 overs. Without their regular captain Shubman Gill, who was sidelined from the Test match due to a neck injury requiring hospitalisation, India’s batting collapsed like nine pins, with no batter reaching the 50-run mark.

“I believe that firstly, we don’t know whether the team management actually wanted such a pitch. But whatever the surface is, you need to perform on it and you need to be very well prepared. I would say we should have bowled slightly better and, at the same time, batted better.

“Unfortunately, we were short of one batter. Shubman Gill got injured in the first innings and wasn’t available in the second innings as well. That was a big loss for the Indian team. But the Indian batters will have to find a way to score runs on such pitches,” said Pujara on JioStar, after the game ended.

Following their defeat to South Africa, India have now lost four of their last six Test matches at home. Pujara, who played 103 Tests for India from 2010 to 2023, also felt that, apart from head coach Gautam Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak should assist the batters in being more proactive with their footwork and range of shots to score runs on spin-friendly pitches.

“If the Indian team ends up playing more matches on surfaces like this, then where do the scoring opportunities come from? That is something that needs to be discussed in the team meeting. The batting coach will also have to speak to the batters. They need to use their feet, play the sweep shot, and play a little more positively on such pitches. You need to put the bowler under pressure, and that is something the Indian batters failed to do in this particular Test match.”

India will have some time to regroup and reassess their batting plans before facing South Africa in the second Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on November 22.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who's followed Indian cricket for years, I'm concerned about our home record. Losing 4 of last 6 Tests at home is worrying. The batting coach really needs to step up.
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Ananya R
Gill's injury was a huge blow, but that's no excuse for such a poor batting performance. Our players need to show more intent and not just wait for bad balls. Time for some serious introspection before Guwahati!
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Michael C
Respectfully, I think Pujara is being too diplomatic. The team management should take responsibility for preparing such difficult pitches. How can we expect batters to perform consistently on these surfaces?
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Priya S
Exactly! Our batters looked clueless against spin. Where was the footwork? Where was the rotation of strike? They just kept blocking and eventually got out. Need to be more proactive like Pujara suggests. 🤔
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Vikram M
Good analysis by Pujara. The problem is our batters are too used to flat tracks. When they get challenging pitches, they don't know how to adapt. Hope they learn quickly before the next Test!

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