“India Should Have Chased 124”: Says Rishabh Pant After Defeat

Stand-in captain Rishabh Pant stated that India failed to handle the pressure during their run chase against South Africa.

India’s Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant believes his team should have successfully chased the 124-run target against South Africa, attributing their defeat to an inability to handle mounting pressure. Pant made these comments after India’s 30-run loss in the first Test at Eden Gardens, where he served as stand-in captain for the hospitalized Shubman Gill.

ALSO READ | Shreyas Iyer Unlikely to Be Fit for South Africa ODIs | Reports

Pressure Proved Decisive

Pant emphasized that the team shouldn’t dwell excessively on the defeat, but acknowledged they failed to capitalize on opportunities during the chase. He identified the partnership between South African players as a key turning point in the match.

“After a game like this, you cannot dwell on it too much. We should have been able to chase it. The pressure kept on building. We did not capitalise enough. There was help from the wicket (for the bowlers),” Pant said during the post-match presentation ceremony.

The wicketkeeper-batter further explained the challenges of chasing modest totals on difficult pitches. “A score of 120 can be tricky on these surfaces. But having said that, we should have been able to soak in the pressure and capitalise. We have not thought about the improvements, but we will come back strong for sure,” Pant added.

The match saw off-spinner Simon Harmer claim eight wickets on a pitch expected to favor India’s spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. This loss marks India’s fourth defeat in their last six home Tests, including their 3-0 series loss to New Zealand in 2024.

ALSO READ | “Rizwan Made Way for Me”: Shaheen Afridi Opens Up on Pakistan Captaincy Decision

Pant specifically highlighted the 44-run eighth-wicket partnership between South African captain Temba Bavuma and Corbin Bosch as crucial. “Temba and Bosch had a good stand in the morning. That partnership between them hurt us,” Pant stated.

During India’s chase, Washington Sundar (31 off 92) and Ravindra Jadeja (18 off 26) showed promise with their composed batting. However, Harmer’s dismissal of Jadeja triggered another collapse, with Sundar falling soon after to Aiden Markram’s part-time off-break bowling.