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Former England captain Michael Vaughan took a brutal dig at the Indian team after their 30-run defeat against South Africa in the first Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday. Vaughan, who had criticised the Eden Gardens pitch earlier, said India deserved to lose after creating such a track for the game.
The decision to prepare a rank turner for the match backfired for India as South Africa rode on skipper Temba Bavuma's terrific half-century and spinner Simon Harmer's 8-wicket match haul to grab their first Test victory in India after 15 years. On a turning track, Indian batters succumbed to pressure as South Africa successfully defended a low-key target of 124 runs to secure a famous victory.
In pursuit of the 124-run target, India lost openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (0) and KL Rahul (1) cheaply in back-to-back overs, before Washington Sundar combined with Dhruv Jurel to get their chase back on track. However, the partnership didn't last long as Jurel was dismissed cheaply on 13.
The likes of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja also failed to deliver as India were eventually bowled out for a paltry 93 runs in the run-chase. India were without skipper Shubman Gill, who was ruled out of the 2nd innings due to a neck injury. His absence was felt dearly as the hosts failed to get over the line in the chase.
Mocking the hosts after South Africa trapped them in their own web, former England captain Vaughan said India deserved to lose against the reigning world Test champions. "Prepare a pitch like that and you deserve to lose against the World Champions," he wrote in a tweet.
The Eden Gardens pitch was criticised by many, including former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, after a staggering 26 wickets fell on the first two days of the Test match. The game eventually got over in less than three days after India failed to chase down 124 runs in their second innings. However, India head coach Gautam Gambhir defended the pitch, while questioning the application of the Indian batters.
India head coach Gambhir refused to believe that the pitch was unplayable as he responded to the critics after his team's 30-run defeat in the Test match at the Eden Gardens. Gambhir insisted the pitch was exactly what the Indian team had asked for as he came out in defence of the curator at the Eden Gardens.
The India head coach said there were no demons in the pitch and that the target of 124 runs was chaseable if the Indian batters defended well and adapted to the conditions. He also cited the examples of the likes of Temba Bavuma and Washington Sundar, who scored runs despite the conditions being difficult for the batters.
"It was not an unplayable wicket, there were no demons. This is exactly the pitch we were looking for. The curator was very, very helpful and supportive. This is exactly what we wanted, and this is exactly what we got. When you don't play well, this is what happens," Gambhir said after the game.
The defeat has put Gambhir under significant pressure as India continue to struggle in Tests under his reign. India have now lost four of their last six Test matches at home under Gambhir. India have lost four Test matches in a row against the SENA countries at home, including a 3-0 defeat in the New Zealand Test series at home last year.
