New Delhi: Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has rejected the notion that a transitional phase is responsible for India’s recent losses in home Test matches.
India faced their fourth defeat in six home Test matches, losing to South Africa by 30 runs in the first Test in Kolkata, after failing to chase a target of 124 runs. The current Indian team is undergoing changes, with veteran players such as Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma either retired or currently not part of the Test squad.
Pujara, who has played 103 Tests, emphasized that the team’s transition should not be an excuse for these defeats. “I don’t buy this idea that India is losing at home because of transition. I can’t digest that,” he stated on JioStar after the team’s loss. He further remarked, “If you lose in England or Australia because of transition, it could be acceptable. But this team has the talent and potential. You look at the first-class records of all the players – Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill… Washington Sundar batted at No. 3 in this match – all their records are impressive. If you are still losing at home, something is fundamentally wrong.”
Pujara also noted that the condition of the pitch played a significant role in the outcome, suggesting that under better conditions, India could have won. “If this match had been played on a better wicket, the chances of India winning would have been significantly higher,” he added. He pointed out that even an India A team would have the capability to defeat South Africa, stating, “To claim this loss is due to transition is simply unacceptable.”
In the aftermath of the defeat, India’s stand-in captain Rishabh Pant acknowledged the team’s inability to capitalize on the pressure during the game. “In a match like this, you can’t dwell on it too much. We should have been able to chase down this score. We built pressure in the second innings, but we could not capitalize,” Pant remarked after the match. He noted the impressive partnership between Temba Bavuma and Heinrich Klaasen, which brought South Africa back into the game. “Although there was assistance for bowlers on the wicket and a total of 120 can be tricky, as a team, we should have been able to handle the pressure and seize the opportunity. We will come back stronger,” he concluded.
