IND vs SA 2025: ‘Indian team losing at home because of transition cannot be digested’ – Cheteshwar Pujara’s outburst after 1st Test

Cheteshwar Pujara (Source: Instagram)

Over the years, Cheteshwar Pujara has been known for his calmness and composure but he looked visibly agitated after India lost to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, by 30 runs on Sunday, November 16.

The legendary batter vehemently expressed his anger, saying that the Indian team shouldn’t be losing Test matches at home despite going through a transition phase, considering the kind of talent there is in the squad. After the retirements of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin, India are trying to rebuild in the red-ball arena. However, they did well against England with a fairly inexperienced team earlier this year, drawing 2-2 on the tour of the United Kingdom.

“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 during a discussion on Star Sports.

“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,” he added.

India had a better chance to win this Test if the match had been played on a good wicket: Pujara

Pujara opined that playing on a rank turner reduced India’s home advantage over South Africa. He suggested that a good wicket would have given Shubman Gill and Co. a better chance to win.

“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,” explained Pujara.

India registered their fourth Test defeat at home since 2024. They were whitewashed by New Zealand 0-3 in October-November last year. The Asian giants will look to bounce back strongly when they face the Proteas in the second and final Test match of the series at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, starting on Saturday, November 22.

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