India lost the Kolkata Test inside three days, failing to chase 124 in fourth innings.
India's batting struggles on spin-friendly pitches continued as they succumbed to a 30-run defeat against South Africa at Eden Gardens inside three days.
The hosts failed to chase a target of 124 on a crumbling surface, getting bowled out for a paltry 93 to concede 1-0 lead to Proteas in a two-Test series.
This was India’s fourth loss in last six home Tests, stretching back to the 0-3 whitewash against New Zealand. They are now facing a must-win situation in Guwahati Test to avoid another series loss at home.
Speaking to Sports Tak, legendary Sunil Gavaskar slammed India's listless batting display in Kolkata Test, attributing it to players neglecting domestic cricket. He argued that not participating in Ranji Trophy leaves batters unprepared for challenging pitches.
"A lot of our players do not play domestic cricket. If you play domestic cricket, you will get to play on such pitches, right? Because even at the domestic level, teams are trying to get the points so that they qualify for the knockouts of the Ranji Trophy, which means that there will be pitches where the ball will grip and turn a little bit," Gavaskar said.
"But none of our players are playing that. None of our current players. How many of our current players actually deign to go down and play Ranji Trophy?"
The 76-year-old voiced concern about players avoiding domestic cricket, citing workload management. He suggested that team management should consider players who actively feature in Ranji Trophy matches.
"No, they don't because there's this word called workload. Workload is the word. They don't want to play. They don't want to play. They only want to play in the Ranji Trophy if they are out of form. Otherwise, they don't want to play. So that is the answer. Maybe you want to look at, you know, preparing a pitch where the ball will grip and turn a little bit. Then you want to pick guys who are playing domestic cricket. We do not really want to play guys who are playing international cricket because they don't have the practice against such kind," Gavaskar remarked.
India will have some time to regroup and reevaluate their batting plans before facing South Africa in the second Test in Guwahati’s Barsapara Cricket Stadium from November 22.