India’s crushing 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens in Kolkata has triggered strong reactions, and Kris Srikkanth has launched a scathing attack on the home side. India was bowled out for just 93 runs while chasing only 124 against South Africa on November 16.
Following the embarrassing defeat, the former Indian captain Srikkanth said that the national team walked straight into their own trap. The pitch, which was prepared to help India’s spinners, ended up behaving wildly from the first session itself, with some balls staying low, some shooting up, and others spinning sharply at the Eden Gardens.
Kris Srikkanth slams India after 2.5-Day collapse at Eden Gardens
Instead of helping the hosts, the surface completely exposed their struggles against quality spin. And Kris Srikkanth made it clear that a Test ending in just two and a half days is a sign that something was seriously wrong with the wicket. The former Indian chief selector has pointed out the shocking scorecards—159, 189, 153, 93—to show how no batter from either side could trust the bounce.
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Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, “The wicket was a bad wicket. Gambhir said after the match that there were no demons in the wicket, but come on, it was a horrible wicket. It was not a Test match wicket. If the game ends in 2.5 days, there’s clearly something wrong with the wicket.”
The former Indian chief selector added, “On these turning tracks, India has been on the back foot. Look at the scores: 159, 189, 153, 93. Obviously, there’s something wrong with the wicket. On the first day, Bumrah bowled an absolute snorter to Markram that nearly went above his head. It’s up and down for the quicks; it’s turning square for the spinners. On this surface, even I would have taken wickets if I had bowled. Bowling stump-to-stump would have done the trick.”
Kris Srikkanth tears into India’s selection blunder
Even fast bowlers like Bumrah were getting deliveries to fly unexpectedly, while spinners had the ball turning square. The former Indian opener also questioned India’s team selection. India went with four spinners—Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar.
But Sundar did not bowl even a single delivery in the second innings. Srikkanth found it unbelievable that the team picked an extra spinner but never used him, especially on a pitch built for turn.
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While Jadeja took four wickets in South Africa’s second innings, his effort was overshadowed by Simon Harmer, whose seven-wicket match haul ripped through India. In the first innings, it was Bumrah and Siraj who actually carried the workload with seven wickets between them, raising even more questions about the strategy of loading the attack with spinners.
Srikkanth questions Washington Sundar’s role in India XI at Eden Gardens
Srikkanth also highlighted that India has repeatedly struggled on spinning tracks in recent years. He mentioned how bowlers like Steve O’Keefe, Ajaz Patel, Matthew Kuhnemann, and now Simon Harmer have all dominated India on turning surfaces.
He signed off by saying, “They played 4 spinners, and one spinner (Sundar) didn’t even bowl. In the second innings he didn’t bowl a single ball. I don’t understand the logic behind selecting 4 spinners. My problem is not with selecting Washington and playing him at No. 3, but with not giving him any bowling whatsoever.”
