Former England national cricket team captain Michael Vaughan has trolled the Indian national cricket team after the Test defeat against the South African national cricket team.
Michael Vaughan said that the India national cricket team deserved to lose the first Test match of the series against the South Africa national cricket team because they had prepared a poor pitch for the game.
Prepare a pitch like that and you deserve to lose – Michael Vaughan
The first Test of the two-match series between India and South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata was surrounded by pitch controversy as the track built for the game was highly bowling-friendly.
The ball was turning quickly from day one and the match took only two and a half days to end as both India and South Africa’s batsmen had a very poor time in the middle.
After restricting South Africa to 159 runs in the first innings, India managed to score 189 runs and then bowled out the visitors for 153 runs, setting a target of 124 runs for themselves, which they could not achieve and were bundled out for 93 runs.
As India suffered a 30-run defeat and went down 0-1 in the series, Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan took the opportunity to mock India over the pitch preparation.
Former England captain Vaughan wrote on Twitter: “Set a pitch like this and you deserve to lose against the reigning World Test champions… Great win for South Africa… #INDvSA.”
Prepare a pitch like that and you deserve to lose against the reigning World Test champions… Great win for South Africa…. #INDvSA
– Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) 16 November 2025
This can only be applied to batsmen with modern technology – Kevin Pietersen
Another England legend, Kevin Pietersen, had a completely different opinion on the low-scoring Kolkata Test. In a long post shared on his Instagram account, Kevin Pietersen blamed the poor batting techniques of modern players for the struggles on spin-friendly tracks. He elaborated:
“Just listen to me here: Looking at the wicket and then the score and then the result in Kolkata, it can only be depended on the modern techniques of the batsmen. Batsmen now grow up to hit sixes and play switch-hits. They do not grow up to learn the art of building an innings and surviving.
“This is the fact, as I know what is being taught and I am part of many player discussions. The player is not blamed at all because that is where the modern game is at. The priority in the game right now is not about survival or the art of playing the spinning ball. The game of cricket is now about bright lights, loud music and financial returns for cricket boards, private equity and private ownership.
“The elephant in the room is that this won’t be mentioned because you can’t talk about money. But, I will, because it’s real. I want players to have the power to earn as much $$$$ while they can. You’re just doing what the decision-makers are doing, but you’re not allowed to talk about it! Keep hitting sixes and switch-hits and keep growing your bank accounts, guys!”
Also read: “I was able to catch it with my little hands”: Temba Bavuma takes brilliant catch to dismiss Axar Patel in Kolkata
Just listen to me here:
Looking at the wicket and then the score and then the result in Kolkata, it can only be depended on the modern techniques of the batsmen.
Batsmen have now grown up to hit sixes and switch-hit. They don’t grow up to make a shift and learn the art…
– Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) 16 November 2025
Performance on England’s flat pitches aside, disappointing returns otherwise – Priyank Panchal
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Priyank Panchal expressed disappointment over the embarrassing defeat and said that prioritization of all-rounders and lack of game plan has been the reason behind the Test struggle. He said:
“First New Zealand, now this. Preference for all-rounders over specialists. Lack of strong game plan for home Test matches. Lack of understanding of how to pace an innings in the longest format. Performance on flat England pitches aside, otherwise disappointing returns. #INDvSA.”
First New Zealand, now this. Preference for all-rounders over specialists. Lack of strong gameplan for home test matches. Lack of understanding of how to carry an innings forward in the longest format. Performances on England’s flat pitches aside, otherwise a disappointing return. #INDvSA
– Priyank Panchal (@PKPanchal09) 16 November 2025
