 "Rishabh Pant was captaining in the place of Shubman Gill after he got injured. Image: AFP")
Former India captain Anil Kumble has criticised Rishabh Pant’s on-field decisions after India’s shocking 30-run defeat to South Africa in the first Test at Eden Gardens. India, chasing only 124 runs to win, were bowled out for just 93 on Day 3 as Shubman Gill didn’t come to bat after being ruled out midway through the game.
Kumble said one of the biggest mistakes was not giving Jasprit Bumrah the first over on the third morning, especially on a pitch that was helping the fast bowlers. Rishabh Pant gave the first over to Axar Patel and then continued with spin for some time before bringing Bumrah from one end.
“A target of 123 was a bit too much. When the day started, South Africa were 63 for 7 and that was the lead. Temba Bavuma was still there. But having spread-out fields and not giving the first over to your best bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, was questionable. All three wickets that fell were to the fast bowlers,” Kumble said on JioStar.
He added that allowing anyone else to bowl ahead of Bumrah on such a challenging surface did not make sense. Apart from Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj also made crucial contributions as he picked up back-to-back wickets to remove the tail and restrict the Proteas to 153.
However, South African spinners turned the match on its head as they demolished the Indian batting lineup after lunch. Simon Harmer was the pick of the bowlers and he got the Player of the Match to leading the charge in the final innings. Temba Bavuma also added crucial runs on the morning of Day 3, along with Corbin Bosch, which eventually proved to be the turning point.
Kumble lauds Temba Bavuma
Kumble was full of praise for Bavuma, saying he doesn’t always get the credit he deserves despite leading the team to the World Test Championship triumph earlier this year.
“Overall, India were certainly outdone by South Africa. Credit to Temba Bavuma — he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves as a captain. He has won 10 out of 11 Test matches as skipper for South Africa and has won a Test Championship for them. He doesn’t get the kind of credit other international captains receive.
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View All“As a batter, too, he has produced two quality innings, one in the WTC final and one here, literally back-to-back since he wasn’t available for Pakistan. He has done exceptionally well both as a player and a skipper,” he said.
Kumble also lauded Bavuma’s captaincy and bowling changes.
“I thought he did really well in bringing on Aiden Markram when there were two left-handers at the crease. Washington Sundar had a good look at Simon Harmer and seemed comfortable. And maybe that one over from Keshav Maharaj, I felt that was where he got the wrong bowler on, because Axar was certainly taking him on.
“But he took a gamble that ultimately paid off. It cost South Africa 16 runs, but it paid off. Overall, I thought his usage of bowlers was excellent. He never used Wiaan Mulder at all in the innings. He ensured that the tall Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, and the two spinners along with the smart use of Markram were enough,” he said.