India’s very disappointing 30 run loss to South Africa at the first test in eden gardens kolkata has got everyone talking – but Bhuvneshwar Kumar is steadfast in his defence of the team
It’s been 15 years since India last lost at home to the south Africans, and the so called ‘experts’ are hammering home the message that India’s batting just isn’t up to scratch – to say nothing of preparing a pitch that was so heavily favouring the spinners
Bhuvneshwar Kumar urges everyone to calm down on the track in kolkata
Some of the critics were quick to point out that India hadn’t learned a thing from last years hammering at the hands of New Zealand – where spin was the dominant force throughout the whole series – but Bhuvneshwar is sticking up for the team and the kolkata pitch with a statement of some conviction.
The king of swing points out that India have been playing on these sorts of tracks for years & that the pitch wasnt the problem this time – he also went on to say that nobody ever complains when the indians are winning on those sorts of wickets & that people should look at the bigger picture rather than panicking over one bad result
The South African bowlers certainly capitalised on the spin-friendly nature of the pitch when India failed to chase down a relatively modest target of 124 – meaning the whole thing was all over in just 3 days. This loss has of course exposed just how fragile India’s batting really is – but Bhuvneshwar still reckons that a bit of an up & down is just part of the game and that india will be back to their winning ways in no time.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar rejects the idea that india are panicking after all the fuss in kolkata
Bhuvneshwar was quoted by PTI as saying “this isn’t the first time we’ve used a spin friendly track alright? People only started whinging about it cos india were on the winning side of it all – & lets be honest – winning & losing is all just part of the game – weve lost before & we’ll lose again – id say its not a big deal to me”
India’s choice of using four spinners—Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, and Washington Sundar—at the Eden Gardens has received criticism from the majority of the cricket pundits. Nevertheless, the Indian pacer was in favor of the decision, saying that the team had selected the right mixture suitable for the spinner-friendly conditions.
He went on to say, “The way the wicket was prepared, we all know that four spinners (Axar, Jadeja, Kuldeep, and Sundar) were in demand. We had some very good spinners; it was a turning track, and the way the match went, it was a good decision to play (four) spinners.”
India missed Shubman Gill, Bhuvneshwar speaks of Workload management
India suffered a lot during the first Test when Shubman Gill was unavailable due to a neck injury, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not want to speculate on whether Gill’s workload was the reason for his injury. He spoke about the Indian seamer though he has expressed that Gill knows his body well enough and can take the decision himself.
He ended with, “Gill has very recently been made the captain. If he wanted to, he would have spoken for himself. He is in the inner circle of the people who think and make decisions, so if he really needs a break, he will let it be known that he needs a break. He is not only mentally but also physically in a state to decide that.”
Meanwhile, South Africa is ahead in the Test series by 1-0, and the second and last match will be held in Guwahati starting on November 22. After the two-match Test series, India and South Africa will play three ODIs and five T20Is.
