After another tragic whitewash at home, the stand-in Indian captain for the game, Rishabh Pant, admitted that they took the match lightly and failed to take advantage of several key moments of the game, which ultimately led to their defeat.
South Africa defeated India at home for the second time in the history of Test cricket, that too after 25 years. The last time something like this happened was in 1999/00 and then the Indian captaincy passed from Sachin Tendulkar to Sourav Ganguly.
However, Shubman Gill escaped the blame, as he was absent from the final match in Guwahati when India had a chance to level the series. Rishabh Pant stood in as India captain in the second innings in Kolkata and again in the match in Guwahati, and India failed under his vice-captain.
Rishabh Pant praised the dominant Proteas team in Guwahati, saying, “It is credit to the opposition team that they played better cricket than us.”
After India’s humiliating and tragic defeat in Guwahati, India’s stand-in captain Rishabh Pant joined for the post-match interview. Two whitewashes in two years; This has happened after a gap of almost 40 years in Indian cricket.
The captain has to bear the burden of the team’s dismal performances as well as consistent low scores. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja were the only half-centuries in the series, and the Indian batsmen averaged below 15.23 in the two matches.
“Obviously, it’s a bit disappointing, you know, but as a team we need to get better. And you have to give credit to the opposition that they played better cricket than us,” Rishabh Pant said.
Rishabh Pant looked a bit disappointed after the poor performance, “Sure, they dominated the series, but at the same time, you can’t take cricket lightly. You are playing at home, but at the same time, we need to be clear about our mindset.”
Rishabh Pant points out India’s shortcomings as a unit, saying, “As a team we did not take advantage of it.”
Rishabh himself failed to perform well as team captain; He himself was out after scoring just 20 runs in the second game and because of his over-aggression on the track it always looked like he was throwing away his wicket.
“And there were moments in the game when we were in the team, but we didn’t take advantage of it as a team. But, you know, in the future we will be better, learn from it and get better from it. No, definitely they played better cricket, but at the same time, you know, in cricket you can’t take anything for granted. You can play at home or away, but at the same time, you know, cricket demands that determination and that extra,” Pant said.
“Because, you know, in a series like this, which has already been tough, if you concentrate too much, you have to learn and survive as a team.
When Pant was asked about the positive aspects of the series for India, he said, “I think the positive thing will be to focus on our own planning and we need to get better at it. That’s the only thing we will learn from it.”
Temba Bavuma tops the list of captains who have won the most Tests.
South African captain Temba Bavuma has brought a ray of golden light for the Proteas, who have been a poor team throughout their time in ICC tournaments. He not only led South Africa to its first ICC title but also became one of South Africa’s most successful captains.
Temba has won 11 of his 12 Test matches as captain of the Proteas, and so far he has only missed a rain-affected draw in Port of Spain last year.
Most wins after first 12 Tests as captain:
11 – Temba Bavuma
10- Ben Stokes
10 – Lindsay Hassett
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