IND vs SA: 3 reasons why India lost the first test in Kolkata

South Africa beat India by 30 runs in the first IND vs SA test in Kolkata.

In what was a disappointing start to the test series against South Africa, India faced a shocking defeat in the series opener. The Shubman Gill-led side were at the receiving end of a 30-run loss at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, November 16. 

The Eden Gardens pitch played in a very unusual way and a combination of that along with poor batting led to their downfall. Both teams struggled with the bat but the Proteas were a bit better as they registered their first test win in India after a long gap of 15 years. 

The two-test series now is in favour of South Africa as they have put themselves out of the losing position. They can only win or draw the series now as the focus turns towards the second match, which will be played in Guwahati from 22nd November. 

But before that, we take a look at three reasons why India lost the first test in Kolkata.

Three reasons why India lost the first test in Kolkata

1.) Absence of Shubman Gill

One of the major reasons behind India’s loss in the first test against South Africa was the blow that India faced in Shubman Gill. The captain on day two of the match faced a neck spasm while batting. He hit a boundary and immediately after that suffered pain in his neck, which eventually ruled him out of the game.

On a pitch that was difficult to bat on, India were a batter short, potentially their best one, which cost them. Considering the kind of form Gill is in at the test level, if he had batted in both innings, things could have been different. On the surface, where a single run mattered, the absence of Gill was one of the big reasons behind India’s loss. 

2.) Inability of batters to tackle spin 

Another big reason that came to haunt the Indian side against South Africa in Kolkata was the inability of batters to tackle spin. Across both innings, Indian batters failed to tackle Simon Harmer. There’s no denying the fact that it was a tough pitch to bat on, but the fight from the batters to hang in there was missing. 

Washington Sundar and Temba Bavuma were the two batters who proved that there were runs to take if you hung in there. The majority of the Indian batters seemed to be in a hurry which led to their downfall. The techniques were tested and not a single fifty from the Indian camp across both innings shows the kind of poor show it was from the hosts. Had the batters applied themselves more, things could have gone well in favour of India. 

3.) Temptation to go with turning tracks

It seems that India haven’t learned anything from the 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand last year at home. The pitch at the Eden Gardens was similar to what India prepared for all three tests against New Zealand and the result was the same for them. After the loss head coach Gautam Gambhir openly mentioned that these are the kind of pitches they exactly want to play. 

This came as a bit of a shock as batters are completely failing against spinners, who are getting more spin than expected and also with the bounce being uneven, it is a nightmare to bat for the Indian side, who are in transition with a lot of youngsters in the side. The turning tracks are not only making the team lose, but also hampering the confidence of batters. 

A stat popped up which stated that the average of Indian batters since 2020 has reduced to 33.8 from 53.3 and this is because of rank-turners. On England soil, Indian batters enjoyed their time as the pitches had something for everyone. If India don’t change their temptation to prepare these kinds of pitches, the result won’t go in their favour.    

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