Pujara snaps in rare meltdown after India’s home Test defeat to South Africa

Cheteshwar Pujara, long regarded as one of India's calmest voices in crisis, broke character with a rare on-air outburst after the shock home Test defeat to South Africa in Kolkata on Sunday. A central figure in India's era of dominance from 2012 to 2024, Pujara admitted he was unable to digest yet another setback at home. India slipped to a 30-run loss in the opening Test of the two-match series, deepening concerns over their fading aura.

India had never lost a Test match during the aforementioned period, which included 42 wins in 53 matches, with eight ending in a draw, while they lost on only three occasions. But the record streak, which spanned 4331 days, came to a humiliating end in November last year, when New Zealand stunned India to a 3-0 whitewash. Exactly a year later, India succumbed to their fourth defeat in six Test matches at home, all during head coach Gautam Gambhir's regime, with the Proteas now on the verge of their second-ever series win on Indian soil.

While India are going through a transitional phase, with senior players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin, all having retired within the last 11 months, Pujara, speaking to Star Sports, refused to accept it as a reason behind the defeat in Kolkata. He said that while India's overseas setbacks were understandable during this phase, losing at home with proven first-class performers suggested a deeper problem within the team.

“I don't agree with this. Transition ki wajah se Bharatiya team Bharat mein haare, woh digest nahi ho sakta (The Indian team losing in India because of the transition cannot be digested)," Pujara said.

“India lost in England and Australia due to the transitional phase, which is still acceptable. But the talent and potential that India has, look at the first-class records of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Shubman Gill. Despite those first-class records, if we lose in India, it means that something is wrong," Pujara added.

Pujara also joined the growing criticism of the Eden Gardens pitch, suggesting that India's insistence on preparing a turner in Kolkata ultimately cost them the match.

“India had a better chance to win this Test if the match had been played on a good wicket. How do you define Tests? On which wickets will your percentage to win be higher? That percentage drops on such wickets and the opposition becomes equal to you," Pujara said.

Source: HindustanTimes
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