India lost the 1st Test against South Africa at Eden Gardens by 30 runs, thus continuing their horrid run in Test cricket on home soil.
India bundled out
South Africa for 159 runs and managed a 30-run lead, but on the 3rd day, chasing just 124 runs, India's batting crumbled on a turning track in Kolkata.
In South Africa's second innings, Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets but South Africa posted 153 runs, setting India a target of 124 on a difficult pitch. Shubman Gill, who was suffering from a stiff neck, did not bat in the second innings, weakening India's chase.
India's batting collapsed under pressure from Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer's spin. The team was bowled out for 93 runs, losing by 30 runs. Only Washington Sundar (31) and Axar Patel (26) provided some resistance. India showed poor shot selection and lacked patience on a challenging pitch.
The defeat highlights India's struggle against quality spin bowling in tough conditions and the impact of Gill's absence. The team needs to improve its batting discipline and adapt better to spinning tracks ahead of the next Test.
This dismal defeat has further heightened questions on the performance of the Indian team on turning tracks, which have been a cause for their demise in the last 12 months or so. Out of the last 6 Test matches on home soil, this is India's fourth defeat, which is a cause for concern.
After the defeat, many ex-players have reacted on social media. From former players to analysts, people have praised South Africa for their gritty display, while criticising Shubman Gill's India for falling victim to their own trap. Apart from that, Gautam Gambhir has been at the wry of fans as well, who have taken apart the India coach for his pitch demands.
"Looks like we haven't learned our lesson from NZ series loss. The gap between our spinners and opposition spinners reduces on pitches like this. We need to go back to classic Indian pitches, like the ones in 2016-17 season when Virat was captain and Eng and NZ toured," wrote Wasim Jaffer on X.
Looks like we havenβt learned our lesson from NZ series loss. The gap between our spinners and opposition spinners reduces on pitches like this. We need to go back to classic Indian pitches, like the ones in 2016-17 season when Virat was captain and Eng and NZ toured. #INDvSA
- Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) November 16, 2025
Irfan Pathan has bashed the Indian team for their lack of ability to play in spin-friendly wickets.
"Skills to play spin on turning tracks around the world have definitely gone down, but this kind of batting from India shows how much our own ability has dropped too. Soft hands, wrist work, all of it has declined drastically," he wrote.
Harsha Bhogle has hailed the South African boys for their amazing display and ongoing resurgence in Test cricket.
The revival of South African cricket in the last 2-3 years is so good for the world game. There was a fear 6 years ago that they were plummeting down and a lot of credit must now go to this combo of Shukri Conrad and, especially, Temba Bavuma who has been such an inspired choiceβ¦
- Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 16, 2025
India went with four spinners for the Test match, and former cricketer Mohammed Kaif has taken a jibe at the team management.
"South Africa showed if you bowl well two spinners are enough to win a test match in India," he wrote on X.
Gambhir has been handed a brutal Manchester United comparison to describe the Test cricket results of the Indian team under his coaching tenure.
Gautam Gambhir - Ego of Mourinho, Performance of Erik Ten Hag pic.twitter.com/gAYB1DBguc
- Tackle From Behind (@tacklefromb) November 16, 2025
Fans are using Rohit Sharma's quotes to depict the Indian team's struggles, which has been a huge issue in recent times.
Rohit Sharma was absolutely spot on when he said this , clueless Gautam Gambhir needs to understand it.π
pic.twitter.com/gwK1wwbvAJ- ππ¨π ππ§π¬ππ§π (@jod_insane) November 16, 2025
This egoistic man wants to make everything about himself. No sureshot positions to anyone, constant line up changes, rigging pitches and falling into your own trap, that's Gautam Gambhir for you pic.twitter.com/UTr1ZsIuOH
- Pallavi (@Pallavi_paul21) November 16, 2025
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