After the hosts lost to South Africa by 30 runs in the opening match of the two-Test series at Eden Gardens, Cheteshwar Pujara said that the Indian hitters need to figure out how to adjust to new circumstances and score more runs.
India chased 124, their third-lowest score in Tests’ fourth innings, but were skittled out for just 93. After New Zealand blanked India 0–3 last year, marking a historic low, the 30-run defeat to the Proteas is India’s fourth defeat in the last six home Test matches. They haven’t lost at home versus South Africa in the previous fifteen years.
Pujara stated that the team should be ready to execute regardless of the circumstances, but he acknowledged that he was unsure if India had purposefully prepared a rank turner.
First of all, I think we don’t know if the team management truly want such a pitch. Regardless of the surface, you must execute on it and be really well-prepared. In my opinion, we need to have batted and bowled a little bit better. Unfortunately, we didn’t have one batter. Shubman Gill was unavailable for the second innings after suffering an injury in the first. For the Indian squad, that was a significant defeat.
But on such pitches, the Indian hitters will need to figure out how to score runs,” Pujara told JioStar.
In circumstances such as those available at Eden Gardens, where the Indian batting unit was vulnerable to uneven bounce and turn from the pitch, Pujara also highlighted the value of using the feet and utilising sweep strokes.
Where would the Indian team’s scoring opportunities come from if they play more games on courts like this? That is a topic that should be covered in the team meeting. Additionally, the batting coach will need to communicate with the batters. On such pitches, they must play the sweep shot, use their feet, and play a little more positively. It is necessary to exert pressure on the bowler, something the Indian hitters did not accomplish in this specific Test match,” he continued.
The series’ second Test will begin on November 22 in Guwahati.
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