Team India have lost five of their last seven Test matches at home.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh vented out his frustration following India's 0-2 loss to South Africa in the Test series, saying that to save the "future generations of Indian cricket," the team management should opt for better pitches at home.
India lost the opening Test in Kolkata by 30 runs, failing to chase a modest target of 124 on a crumbling surface. While the pitch served for the Guwahati Test was completely flat, Indian batters once again let the team down as their two innings folded for 201 and 140.
This was the second time in a space of just 12 months that India ended up being whitewashed at home. New Zealand won three consecutive Test matches on Indian soil last year.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan claimed that the current crop of Indian cricketers does not know how to approach five-day cricket, considering how accustomed they are to wickets that guarantee a two- or three-day finish almost every match.
He went on to say that such tracks led to a decline in the batting averages of Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Ajinkya Rahane.
"We do not know how to play matches for five days. We have gotten so used to playing on wickets where matches last two or three days. After 2011-12, there have been so many such matches and very few go to the fifth day. Such pitches were not the norm back in the day. Nowadays, they have reduced the averages of our batters like Virat Kohli, Pujara, and Rahane to 35-40 from 50. You cannot play slowly or fast on these pitches. There is nothing left on these pitches for the batters. Our old greats were great because they knew how to play five days of Test cricket," Harbhajan said.
"For the betterment of Indian cricket, I think they should forget what has happened in the last 10 to 12 years, what pitches they have played on. Leave those wins behind. They look good in records, fine, but start playing on better wickets to save the future generation of Indian cricket," he added.
Harbhajan further stated that Test cricket requires "effort, hard work, discipline," which has been missing for quite some time due to the pitches served in India.
"The kind of temperament needed to play Test cricket requires effort, hard work, discipline, and I feel that for many years this has been missing. Because matches get over in two-and-a-half or three days, everyone goes home, the broadcaster suffers, and people who bought tickets suffer," Harbhajan said.
"But what happens on a good wicket? A good wicket makes the game last five days. And then you find out who the real winner is. This lottery-type situation-earlier New Zealand got lucky, now South Africa got lucky in the first match-because the pitch was such that no one even knew what was going to happen," he remarked.
Harbhajan was also critical of India's dismal show with the bat in Guwahati’s flat pitch where the Proteas racked up 489 and 260/5 (declared) across two innings.
"Now, coming to the second match. South Africa won the toss on this pitch and made 489. You might say the pitch is good on the first day, fine. But even in the second innings, they scored 260 runs and lost only five wickets. And how many did you make in the first innings? 201," Harbhajan said.
"Fine, the team got all out, maybe the surface had a little bit of something happening, some spin, but you did not get out to spin. Who took six wickets? Jansen did-a fast bowler. And then in the second innings, Team India collapsed for 140. And look, they made 260 there and you made only 140. So this is not just the fault of the pitch. I feel the biggest fault is your temperament," he added.
(With ANI Inputs)