“Whatever the surface is, you need to be very well prepared” - Cheteshwar Pujara lashes out at the Indian team after a 30-run defeat to South Africa

Former Indian No.3 batter and commentator Cheteshwar Pujara has slammed the Indian team for suffering a 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test of the two-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

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Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, Pujara asserted that irrespective of the surface being offered, the Indian team should be well-prepared, adding that the Indian batters and bowlers should’ve done well on the Eden Gardens wicket.

“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,” Pujara said on JioHotstar.

With Shubman Gill suffering from a neck spasm, India were one batter short in both innings as Gill got retired out in the first innings. With one batter short, India failed to create an impact in the fourth innings, losing the game by 30 runs eventually. 

“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,” he added.

Furthermore, Pujara reckoned that the Indian batters need to change their approach on surfaces like the Eden Gardens, using their feet and playing the sweep shots against spinners, displaying a proactive attitude. 

“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,” the former No.3 batter concluded. 

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India will lock horns with South Africa in the second and final Test of the two-match series, starting on Saturday, November 22 in Guwahati.

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