By-Jawahar Mishra
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The overly-spiny pitch in Kolkata turned India’s chances of winning into a defeat, handing India a 30-run defeat. It was a big disappointment that India, despite taking a 30-run lead in the first innings, could not convert it into a victory.
However, despite India’s always winning record on the spinning pitch in Kolkata, what combination of factors disrupted India’s chances of winning and turned it into a defeat is discussed here.
This defeat was primarily due to the difficult nature of the pitch and the poor performance of the Indian batsmen.
Chasing a small target of 124, India were all out for just 93 and lost by 30 runs.
Main Reasons for the Defeat:
⚠️ Tricky Pitch: The Eden Gardens pitch displayed uneven bounce and sharp turn from the start, making batting extremely difficult.
🏏 Batting Collapse: The Indian batsmen, especially in the second innings, were unable to withstand South African spinner Simon Harmer. Harmer took a combined 8 wickets in both innings.
🤕 Shubman Gill’s Injury: Captain Shubman Gill was unable to bat in the second innings due to a neck injury, leaving the team one batsman short. This was a major blow during the chase.
⭐ Bavuma’s Crucial Knock: South Africa captain Temba Bavuma played a fighting unbeaten 55 on a difficult pitch in the second innings, helping his team set a challenging target of 124 for India.
In short, the difficulty of the pitch and the Indian batsmen’s inability to withstand the pressure were the main reasons for this defeat.
